Announcements
The following are now available to all Web site visitors:
2008 Allergy Cookbook Survey Results
The results of KFA's allergy cookbook survey are now available! You can see what the results are for any of the books in our
KFA bookshop (just click on the "ratings and comments" link for each book listed in the bookshop) or, if you want to see the survey results for all cookbooks, we have a
2008 Cookbook Survey Summary Report in our Resources Section. We hope you find it helpful in sorting out which cookbooks you'd like to purchase or borrow from a public library.
New Allergy-Friendly Food Finds (Spring 2008)
Allergen-free foods: What new products are available this year?
KFA's Special Report on new allergy friendly food finds released earlier this month, in case you missed it, includes new kid-friendly foods like frosting, pasta dishes, frozen meals, ready-to-eat shelf-stable meals, baby food, cookies, candies, and more. Many items are peanut-free, milk-free, egg-free, gluten-free, vegan and more.
Announcing October 4th Fundraiser in Tampa, FL to Benefit Kids With Food Allergies
Save the date! We are pleased to announce that Amazinflates of Tampa, FL has selected Kids With Food Allergies as its designated charity and will be sending a portion of its revenues as a monthly donation to KFA. In addition, owner Ronnie Rivera, parent of a young son with food allergies, will be organizing a fun, child-oriented fund raiser on October 4 in Tampa, FL with all proceeds benefiting KFA. If you live in the Tampa area and would like to volunteer to assist with this event, please
contact us. More details coming soon!
Grab KFA's New Widget for Your MySpace, Facebook, Blog, or Web site
Click on the link above to go to our widgets page, where you can grab the code for this new widget to add to your own Web site, blog, MySpace page, or Facebook profile. This widget updates news, food allergy alerts, and announcements from Kids With Food Allergies as we post them on our Web site.
News
Raising Awareness of the Personal and Research Challenges of Food Allergy
The Directors of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) made an announcement earlier this week that nearly a dozen awards will be made to investigators in a new program that will recruit new food allergy researchers and attract established researchers in other disciplines to bring fresh perspectives to the field. All of the NIAID awardees in this program will be new food allergy researchers, and one-third will be first-time NIH grant recipients.
FAAN Unveils 5 Steps Forward for Food Allergy
In honor of the 11th annual Food Allergy Awareness Week, May 11-17, The Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN) unveiled its new advocacy initiative "Five Steps Forward for Food Allergy" at an educational briefing on Capitol Hill on Tuesday. The advocacy initiative calls for nationwide voluntary guidelines for food allergy management in schools; an information clearinghouse for food allergies at the Centers for Disease Control; guidelines for the management and treatment of food allergy; increased funding for food allergy research; and a call for improved wording, use, and definition of precautionary allergen statements on food products.
Free Asthma Screenings for Allergy and Awareness Month
"If you or your child has asthma, or think you might, free asthma screenings are scheduled to be held at 250 locations across the United States as part of National Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month. The American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology sponsors the annual event; for 2008 the emphasis is on helping those already diagnosed with asthma to get it under control as best they can.
A list of free asthma screening locations and dates, online versions of the breathing questionnaires, and more information on treating and controlling asthma are on the ACAAI Web site at
www.acaai.org. Also, the
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute has more information about controlling and treating asthma."
FDA Safety Update: Asthma Medications
Asthma is a chronic, life-threatening disease that causes the airways to become inflamed or swollen. When people with asthma react to various triggers, such as upper respiratory infections, dust, pollen, or smoke, their airways become narrow. This can cause difficulty breathing, wheezing, chest tightness, or coughing. The two main types of asthma drugs are quick-relief medications that immediately treat sudden symptoms and long-term control medications that are taken regularly to prevent symptoms.
Here is a roundup of recent safety issues related to asthma medications from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), including:
*Incorrect Use of Foradil Aerolizer
*Suicidality and Behavior/Mood Changes with Singulair
*Safety of Long-Acting Beta Agonists (LABAs)
*Anaphylaxis and Xolair
ABC News OnCall+ Allergy
ABC News launched a new section on its Web site dedicated to allergies. OnCall+ Allergy features videos of allergy experts across the country answering commonly asked questions. One of the latest additions is a new video with allergist Pia Hauk, M.D. from National Jewish Medical Center
explaining hospital-based food challenges.
KFA has been working together with ABC as it strives to provide comprehensive coverage on allergies.
Must-Read Forum Topics
Sign up for a free Associate Membership to read the messages posted in our "Main" online support group forum.
Breast vs. bottle and preventing food allergies in babies
"Your stories have given me the courage to try breastfeeding again. It's so hard when people in your life are saying things like well, your first child is allergic to all the things you ate a lot of... so maybe breastfeeding isn't the best idea for the next baby."
One parent asks for others to share their breast vs. bottle feeding experiences, and whether their children developed allergies. Many parents respond.
Why would peanut RAST be higher than last year? (New RAST Results)
"Kaleigh had a check up today with the allergist and we received the RAST results from a few weeks ago...It is obvious that peanuts will always be a no-no, but why would the numbers jump in a year if she doesn't eat them, same goes for soy? "
One parent asks for explanation of why a child's RAST tests would rise even though they are being careful and always avoid traces of peanut allergen.
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