Windom Allergy, Asthma, Sinus

Recently the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology published a great article with common sense, evidence-based advice that all allergists should be discussing with their food allergy patients. This week we will highlight improving safety at restaurants/food establishments. High-risk establishments include ice cream parlors, bakeries, and Asian restaurants . Avoid these places or use additional instructions to staff to reduce risk. Have food prepared specifically for the patient, taking into consideration cross-contact and hidden ingredients Desserts, sauces are higher risk. Avoid these unless safety can be confirmed. Restaurant personnel are often not educated about food allergy. Educate while informing. For example,...

One of the best parts about preparing for my OIT presentation at the University of South Florida was learning about the history of OIT. I hope you are as amazed as I was at this timeline. – Dr. Ly 500 AD - the ancient Babylonian Talmud has instructions for treating egg sensitivity with egg white. 1905 - Finkelstein conceptualizes OIT – He successfully desensitizes nurslings with “milk idiosyncrasy” by gradually administering increasing drops of milk. 1908 - Schofield treats a 13-year-old patient with egg allergy over an 8-month period by incrementally increasing small amounts of raw egg disguised in pill form....

So, you don’t get hives or wheezy when you eat certain foods, but you don’t feel well after eating them. What’s going on? You may have a food intolerance, which is difficulty digesting certain foods and having an unpleasant physical reaction to them. Common symptoms include bloating, stomach pain, diarrhea, skin rashes, and itching usually a few hours after eating the food. Is there a food intolerance test? Unfortunately, there are no validated tests for food intolerances.  And please don’t be fooled into paying the low, low price of $500-1000 for ANY test that claims otherwise. Seeking advice from your doctor...

We just said goodbye to our 8 year-old milk allergic Australian who came to Sarasota for milk oral immunotherapy (OIT). She has returned to Brisbane drinking a small amount of milk daily. On the research front, Dr. Panida Sriaroon from All Children’s Hospital in St. Pete presented a poster of our first 72 peanut OIT patients in California at Stanford’s Gordon Research Conference. Dr. Shiaroon spent several days in Sarasota combing our records to prepare her awesome scientific presentation.

Holiday treats.  Volunteer to provide the allergen free snacks for holiday parties at school or provide the teacher with a box of allergen free snacks for your child so they don’t feel left out. Letting guests know.  Inform your guests that your child has a food allergy. Instead of food, guests may consider bringing holiday themed plates, cups or napkins. Planning ahead.  Let your host know that you or your child has a food allergy. Offer to bring allergen free foods for you and others to enjoy. Food labels.  If you are the host of a holiday feast, keep the ingredient...

The doctors and staff at  Windom Allergy  and the  Food Allergy Center of FL  send their prayers to the Alabama family who recently lost their 3 year old son from an allergic reaction to milk.  The adorable little boy was being tested at a children’s hospital in AL for sensitivity to milk contained in a baked muffin.  This is the first ever reported fatal reaction to a food challenge test.  As allergists we have always known of the seriousness of food allergy and this tragic event should make everyone aware.

Based primarily on the results of the 2015 UK study LEAP ( Learning Early About Peanut Allergy) , national guidelines have been released from the NIH and international allergy organizations that recommend introducing peanut in the diet between 4-9 months of age to foster tolerance; once eczema starts food allergy is soon to follow, therefore if the baby has not introduced peanut when eczema begins, a simple skin test or blood test to peanut should be done to make sure they haven’t become allergic and as such would react upon consuming peanut. If the test is negative, peanut feedings can begin...

Food Allergy? Oral immunotherapy (OIT) safely allows allergic children and adults to no longer live in fear of their food allergy. Since the 1990’s a great deal of research has been conducted in the area of food desensitization. While the exact protocol differs from country to country, the general theme is very consistent: take a highly allergic child or adult, give them a VERY low dose of the offending food by mouth, have them stay on it 1-2 times a day, come back to the clinic for an increase in the dose, stay on that dose at home for a week...

Sarasota Clinical Research at Windom Allergy is participating in a national peanut allergy trial.  People with peanut allergy can now enroll in this exciting study by calling Sally at 941-927-4888.  A peanut challenge is not required for study entry. There is no charge for the patient.

Dr. Windom gave a lecture on Food Allergy Treatment at the South Carolina Allergy Society’s annual meeting in Charleston, SC, March 17-19, 2017.  No one is currently offering food oral immunotherapy (OIT) in South Carolina so the society wanted to learn from Dr. Windom’s experience with this novel form of treating patients with serious food allergies. The lecture was titled,  Food Oral Immunotherapy in Clinical Practice .  The two major points were: There are over 20 published studies  on oral immunotherapy (OIT) in the medical literature since 2004, consistently showing the safety and efficacy of desensitizing highly allergic individuals to various foods....