Need ideas for Halloween Treats? What about treats that are food allergy friendly, that won’t melt, and most importantly, not break the bank! Available at dollar stores, party supply stores, or online shops, these low-cost items can be purchased and handed out to all trick-or-treaters, or made available in a separate bowl from candy if you choose to hand out both options. Glow sticks, bracelets, or necklacesPencils, pens, crayons or markersBubblesHalloween erasers or pencil toppersMini SlinkiesWhistles, kazoos, or noisemakersBouncy ballsFinger puppets or novelty toysCoinsSpider ringsVampire fangsMini notepadsPlaying cardsBookmarksStickersStencils https://www.foodallergy.org/resources/ideas-non-food-treats

Hello Windom Allergy Family! As you know, Windom Allergy always strives to be cutting edge in the realm of food allergy, so we are constantly reading up on the newest literature. We believe sharing these studies with you is very important as well. Below is a summary of a recent article published in the Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology examining whether or not peanut-allergic patients should truly be avoiding tree nuts. The authors acknowledge that if peanut-allergic children are proven to have tree nut allergies already (i.e. previous history of a reaction or positive food challenge) then these should obviously...

Thank goodness the dreaded virus is beginning to fade. Unfortunately, the allergy season continues to afflict us, as we drift from the February to April oak tree pollen to the grass and weed pollen seasons. If you’ve let your regular allergy shot visits lag because of the pandemic distraction, come on in and get caught up. For those of you on food oral immunotherapy (OIT), we’re open, safe, and ready for your dosing visits as well. We’re doing our best to make you feel normal again at Windom Allergy.

We at Windom Allergy really appreciate our local restaurants and know these times are hard for them. From hot, delicious coffee (which COVID-19 can't live in!) from The Clever Cup and delicious lunches from The Serving Spoon, our local restaurants keep us going! Don't forget to get takeout from your local Mom and Pop favorites to support them. Just remember to transfer the food to a clean place, throw away the takeout packaging, and wash your hands before eating. Bon Appetit!  

To Our Windom Allergy Family

​We continue to always be available to our patients during this viral pandemic. Here is an update on office services:

TELEMEDICINE

We are seeing patients in the office, but for those preferring to stay home, we’re happy to arrange a telemedicine visit. Just let us know whether you want to come in or see us virtually when you call for an appointment or when we callyou to remind you about an upcoming appointment.

FOOD ORAL IMMUNOTHERAPY(OIT)

With fewer people in the office (doctors, nurses and other patients), it is a good time to keep up on your oral immunotherapy (OIT) dosing. Give us a call, text Wendy through OhMD, or writeus from your patient portal, telling us when you’d like to come in.

ALLERGY SHOTS

As above, with a less crowded office than usual, staying on top of your allergies with your regular allergy shot is a safe and simple process.We encourage our shot patients to park in the South parking lot, so they enter the door directly into the shot waiting room.If there are more than 3-4 people in the waiting room, you are welcome to sit outside on the porch and spend your 30 minutes looking for alligators in the creek.New hours: 8:30-4.

BIOLOGIC MEDICATION INJECTIONS & IMMUNOGLOBULIN THERAPY

Patients on biologic medications (Xolair, Dupixent, Nucala, Cinqair, and Fasenra) should maintain their current schedule. The same goes for our immunodeficiency patients receiving immunoglobulin replacement therapy.

For all of our patients who have the EpiPen: FDA alerts patients and health care professionals of EpiPen auto-injector errors related to device malfunctions and user administration EpiPen 0.3 mg and EpiPen Jr 0.15 mg auto-injectors, and the authorized generic versions, may potentially have delayed injection or be prevented from properly injecting due to: Device failure from spontaneous activation caused by using sideways force to remove the blue safety release.Device failure from inadvertent or spontaneous activation due to a raised blue safety release.Difficulty removing the device from the carrier tube. For more information: FDA alerts patients and health care professionals of EpiPen...

Our fearless leader, Dr, Hugh Windom, and the newest addition to the Windom Allergy, Dr. Tara Saco, both gave lectures at the annual Univeristy of South Florida Symposium Update in Allergy and Immunology on January 17 & 18. Primary care physicians, surgeons, dermatologists, ear nose and throat specialists, as well as fellow allergists who attended this conference came from all over Florida and some from other states to learn about foor oral immunotherapy (OIT) and mast cell diseases (mastocytosis and mast cell activation syndrome) from Dr. Windom and Dr. Saco, respectively. Windom Allergy continues to be at the forefront of cutting edge Allergy...

The peanut pill, Palforzia, has been approved by the FDA, so what are food allergy patients supposed to think? Here is what we know. Palforzia (peanut flour in a capsule) is to be used as oral immunotherapy (OIT) for 4 to 17 year-olds with a confirmed diagnosis of peanut allergy. It should help mitigate allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis, that may occur with accidental exposure to peanuts. Those who take Palforzia must continue to avoid peanuts in their diets. The goal is to be slowly desensitized to 300 mg of peanut protein, or approximately one peanut, with the help of an allergist. Studies...

Dr. Windom attended the American College of Allergy Asthma & Immunology annual meeting in Houston in November. He lectured on ‘Food Oral Immunotherapy (OIT) in Clinical Practice’ to the Association of Allergists of Indian-Origin. Many in the audience expressed interest in offering this life-changing therapy to their patients based on the aspirational words of Dr. Windom. The results of our first 180 peanut allergy patients treated with OIT, compiled with the help of pre-med student Lara Gasich, were presented as a poster at the national meeting.

This month Dr. Fergeson led our emergency room training review. During these sessions our physicians, nurses and office staff discuss how to safely and efficiently manage a patient who is having an allergic reaction. We also had the opportunity to review our airway and IV placement skills, as well as apply these skills in our mock patient clinical scenarios. We are constantly learning here at Windom Allergy and always strive to provide the best care to our patients.