“A child is born with a food allergy. They do not choose to have their immune system compromised. Parents do not get the choice to opt-in or out of having their child’s body recognize ordinary food as a threat. Food allergies are a unique disease…
Category: Allergies & Immunology
When celebrities attack children with food allergies
Recently, I came across two high-profile Twitter accounts sharing a meme insinuating that parents who have children with nut allergies are hesitant to give the coronavirus vaccine to their children. The author of the tweet, Bette Midler, so eloquently …
Medical facilities: Please keep your immune-deficient patients safe
“Go have a seat,” the receptionist at the imaging center told me, gesturing to the waiting room. It was a close, poorly ventilated space, and several of the chairs were already occupied. I turned back to the receptionist. ”I have a primary immune defic…
Think you have an iodine allergy? You may want to reconsider. [PODCAST]
“Iodine-based contrast agents are widely used for CT and other X-ray studies. They light up blood vessels and enhance perfusing tissue. These agents are essential for diagnosing everything from clots, to tumor, to bleeding. Unfortunately, many pa…
Food allergies are not funny [PODCAST]
“If we do not raise objections to this kind of comedy, we are teaching those around us that food allergies can be funny. It is no that surprise that data indicates kids and adults are anxious, embarrassed, and bullied due to food allergies. When …
Food allergies are not funny
It seems that adults need to be reminded and educated of the dangers life-threatening food allergies possess. If you think taunting people that have life-threatening food allergies occur only with very young children, you would be sadly mistaken. Case …
People with COVID-19 who live in highly polluted areas are more likely to die
The COVID-19 pandemic has shone a spotlight on the health inequities many Americans face because of where they live and the air they breathe. We are seeing what I have long seen in my allergy practice—many of my patients live in communities with unheal…
There are drawbacks when multiple layers are placed between patient and physician
Modern medical practices are assisted by advances in technology but remain challenged by the costs of doing business. Physicians and surgeons are meeting the need to deliver care to large caseloads by employing nurse practitioners and physician assist…
Goodbye, Benadryl: It is time for you to retire
Sometimes, old ideas and time-tested treatments remain the best. Newer doesn’t always mean better. Except in the case of one of our oldest antihistamines, tried-and-true Benadryl. It is time for that old drug to be retired, sent off to pasture, and nev…
We need more awareness of food-allergic kids
When my peanut-allergic son was five, he suddenly blurted out, “Mom, don’t worry about me, if I eat a peanut by mistake and it kills me, I can just hit the redo button and get another life, like in the video game.” I became really sca…
