The Parent S Guide To Food Allergies

Whether you are the parent, relative, caregiver, or teacher of a food-allergic child, you know how challenging it is to keep that child safe, healthy, happy, and well fed. But now, help is at hand. The team of authors behind this invaluable book -- the mother of a food-allergic child, a board-certified allergist, and a psychologist -- will take you through every step of life with a food-allergic child.

All the answers parents need. Keeping kids safe takes vigilance. But when your child has food allergies, the challenge is greater and you worry that much more. As a food-allergy mom (and someone seriously allergic herself), author Mireille Schwartz has been through it all. Now, in this clear, reassuring guide she helps you get a handle on food allergies, establish new routines, and restore peace and order to family life. You'll learn to: Spot the signs and symptoms of an allergic reaction * Navigate testing and diagnosis * Decipher ingredient labels, keeping an eye out for "hidden" allergens * Allergy-proof your whole home-not just the kitchen * Create an emergency kit and an allergy action plan * Make school a safe and enjoyable environment * Find lunchbox substitutions your kid will like * Deal with restaurants, playdates, birthday parties, holidays, and other group celebrations * Plan for safe travels- from summer camp to family getaways * And more From protecting your child to teaching them to take care of themselves, When Your Child Has Food Allergies covers it all so your life can get back to normal.

Although 30% of American children are allergic to one or more foods, the several recipe books available to help plan safe meals for them (and for the 10% of adults who share their allergies) lack comprehensive guidance on other aspects of the problem. Your Food Allergic Child: A Parent's Guide was created specifically to overcome those deficiencies. In addition to an extensive assortment of recipes and reliable guidance on feeding the allergic child (at home, at school, and while traveling), other sections include reference charts to the nutrient and chemical contents of common foods, medications, and grocery brands. The book includes a foreword by Frederic Speer, M.D., nationally recognized authority on food allergies and author of several books on the subject. Janet Meizel is a lecturer in the Department of Community Health, University of California School of Medicine, Davis, CA.

For children with food allergies, eating—one of the basic functions of life—can be a nightmare. Children who suffer or become dangerously ill after eating peanuts, seafood, milk, eggs, wheat, or a host of other foods require constant vigilance from caring, concerned parents, teachers, and friends. In this empathetic and comprehensive guide, Dr. Scott H. Sicherer, a specialist in pediatric food allergies, gives parents the information they need to manage their children’s health and quality of life. He describes why children develop food allergy, the symptoms of food allergy (affecting the skin, the gastrointestinal tract, and the respiratory system), and the role of food allergy in behavioral problems and developmental disabilities. Parents will learn how to recognize emergency situations, how to get the most out of a visit with an allergist, what allergy test results mean, and how to protect their children—at home, at school, at summer camp, and in restaurants. Informative, compassionate, and practical, this guide will be indispensable for parents, physicians, school nurses, teachers, and everyone else who cares for children with food allergies.

The essential guide for anyone who suffers from food allergies. Posing the urgent questions that anyone with food allergies will think to ask—and then some—Food Allergies provides practical, sensitive, and scientific guidance on the topics that affect your life. Allergy expert Scott H. Sicherer addresses the full spectrum of food allergies, from mild to life threatening and from single foods to food families, clearing up misconceptions along the way. He explores how exposure to foods can bring about an allergic response, describes the symptoms of food allergy, and illuminates how food allergies develop. Organized in an accessible Q&A format and illustrated with case studies, the book thoroughly explains how to prevent exposure to a known allergen at home, at school, in restaurants, and elsewhere. Dr. Sicherer also gives valuable advice about what to do if exposure occurs, including how to handle an anaphylactic emergency. Finally, he describes tests for diagnosing food allergies and chronic health problems caused by food allergies, such as eczema, hives, and respiratory and gastrointestinal symptoms. In this thoroughly updated new edition, Dr. Sicherer • describes new approaches to prevent food allergies • presents cutting-edge theories on risk factors for developing food allergies • describes innovative allergy tests to improve diagnosis • explains how to administer emergency medications for severe reactions • focuses on new allergens of concern, such as pink peppercorns • analyzes studies suggesting that resolution of an allergy might be predictable • talks about the role of "healthy diet" • lists additional resources, including allergy-related apps • provides revised school food allergy guidelines • offers insights into food allergy bullying—and advice to reduce it Dr. Sicherer also reviews food reactions that are not allergic (such as lactose intolerance and celiac disease), advises how to get adequate nutrition when you must avoid dietary staples, and discusses whether allergies ever go away (they do—and sometimes they return).

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."Two renowned, board-certified pediatric allergists report from the front lines of science and clinical practice. Asthma Allergy Children: A Parent's Guide is published in conjunction with the launch of AsthmaAllergiesChildren.com. If you can't find the answers here, you can find them there, or you can ask the authors yourself. The book explains what allergies and asthma are, and why they are expanding. You will hear about the myths and realities of treatment, and how you can involve the whole family in making life better for your allergic/asthmatic child. Myths and realities of food allergy. Charts of medications. Alternative treatments. How the environment at home and in your neighborhood affect your child's health. How a pediatric allergist can reduce your child's dependence on medication or end it altogether. Strategies for busy parents. And much more.

Parenting a Positive Reaction is a must read for parents sending their child off to school with a food allergy and avoid the trap of trading normal school activity for security, which can quickly lead to your child becoming isolated and feeling uneasy.

The most complete guide to preventing, testing, living with, and treating food allergies in children and adults. In this comprehensive, evidence-based guide for adults and children with food allergies and those who care for them, Dr. Scott H. Sicherer provides all the critical information you need on preventing, testing, living with, and treating food allergies. Organized in an accessible Q&A format and illustrated with case studies, the book thoroughly explains how to prevent exposure to a known allergen at home, at work, at school, in restaurants, and elsewhere. Emphasizing the most recent advances, Sicherer touches on everything from handling an anaphylactic emergency to diagnosing allergies and intolerances, all while detailing chronic health problems caused by food, such as eczema, hives, and gastrointestinal symptoms. He also shares: • the benefits and risks of new therapies • new prevention guidelines • new approaches to improve quality of life and reduce anxiety • the latest insights on adult-onset food allergies • new diagnostic tests now commercially available • approaches shown to increase safety in school • the latest thinking on treating eczema through the diet • new doses and self-injection devices for treating food anaphylaxis • new information about food allergies that affect the gut Dr. Sicherer also reviews food reactions that are not allergic, such as lactose intolerance, irritable bowel syndrome, and celiac disease. He explains how to get adequate nutrition when you must avoid dietary staples and discusses whether allergies ever go away (they do—and sometimes they return). Finally, he includes an allergy and anaphylaxis emergency plan and checklists to reduce cross-contamination. This is the most authoritative and accessible allergy book on the market.