Allergies & Asthma

One of the most frustrating things with Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS) is getting an actual diagnosis. The condition mimics so many other illnesses and conditions that it fakes out the patient, and even more so, the doctor(s). Sadly, some doctors, without the ability to make a diagnosis of what is wrong with a patient,

Women continued to be paid less than men in academic medicine, with gender gaps in salary and representation most pronounced in cardiology and other procedural specialties, according to a cross-sectional analysis. In 2018 and 2019, female representation approached 50% at the instructor and assistant professor ranks in internal medicine, but fell to 24% at full

WASHINGTON — A coal-powered electricity plant in Puerto Rico that is releasing toxic coal ash should be shut down immediately because it is harming patients’ health, several House members said. “Whether through production or storage, there is no good outcome related to coal ash,” said Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-N.Y.), who is originally from the Dominican

Note that some links may require registration or subscription. COVID deaths in Brazil surpassed 500,000, and protesters in more than 20 cities are blaming President Jair Bolsonaro for downplaying the pandemic. (NPR) The more contagious and possibly more deadly Delta variant will “probably” become the dominant strain in the U.S. in the next couple of

Now that my son, Morgan, is a 25 year old man he is making the informed decisions about all aspects of life, including choosing allergists, physicians and whether to receive a COVID vaccine. I feel secure in the knowledge that he is fully capable of making these decisions, and it’s really wonderful that he and

Among children with uncontrolled, moderate-to-severe asthma, treatment with the biologic dupilumab (Dupixent) was associated with a reduction in exacerbation and improvements in lung function in phase III findings from the international VOYAGE trial. Evidence of lung function improvement occurred within 2 weeks of treatment initiation, and was sustained during the 52-week randomized, placebo-controlled trial. Compared

I was diagnosed with MCAS (Mast Cell Activation Syndrome) almost 10 years ago. It took a few years of trying every prescription medication my GI doctor could find to begin to get my symptoms stabilized, and even then I still was suffering from weight loss, fatigue, stomach pain, insomnia and an inability to increase my

The 24-hour news cycle is just as important to medicine as it is to politics, finance, or sports. At MedPage Today, new information is posted daily, but keeping up can be a challenge. As an aid for our readers and for a little amusement, here is a 10-question quiz based on the news of the

A first-in-class drug under development for severe asthma passed what its developers hope is the final test: achieving its primary endpoint in a phase III registration trial dubbed NAVIGATOR and now reported in a major journal. Tezepelumab, a monoclonal antibody targeting thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP), cut the annualized rate of asthma exacerbations by more than

A novel gene therapy for severe combined immunodeficiency from adenosine deaminase deficiency (ADA-SCID) restored immune cell counts without death or need for enzyme replacement therapy, researchers reported. Survival without needing to re-initiate pegylated ADA enzyme replacement therapy, or have a rescue allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (AHCT), was 95% to 97% at last follow-up at

You might think that when asthma patients were switched involuntarily from regular insurance to high-deductible health plans (HDHPs), a substantial number would cut corners on their daily controller medications — but you would mostly be wrong, researchers said. In fact, in a study of some 185,000 pediatric and adult patients with asthma spanning 2002 to

I’ve been in my current relationship for over two years now. He’s so great. We’ve done multiple trips together and have begun to settle into whatever this “adult life” means. He even helped during this holiday season to navigate not one, but two, Thanksgiving meals (one with friends, one with family) to make sure the

The 24-hour news cycle is just as important to medicine as it is to politics, finance, or sports. At MedPage Today, new information is posted daily, but keeping up can be a challenge. As an aid for our readers and for a little amusement, here is a 10-question quiz based on the news of the

Twenty years ago this month, I started AllergicChild.com. The Internet was still barely beyond the idea stage, and there were VERY few websites pertaining to food allergies. I had just written my book, “Allie the Allergic Elephant: A Children’s Story of Peanut Allergies,” which my husband and I had self-published. It was the first edition

The news of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) has begun to get my attention these past few days. In general, I am not overly worried about the virus and its impact on my son with his well-managed asthma; however, he has been planning to go to London on vacation in less than two weeks. It’s a wonderful

If you read this blog frequently, you know that my son has had a planned trip to London since last year. I wrote about this in my last blog post here. After many discussions, research and the existing environment on March 7th, Morgan and Quinn decided to go ahead with their trip carrying hand wipes

My son, Morgan, and his boyfriend, Quinn, returned from their vacation in London on Monday, March 16. If you haven’t read about that challenging return to the US, you can read about it here. Both young men went home to self-quarantine after their return. During the trip, for a few days Quinn had been experiencing

I don’t know about you, but some days I definitely am suffering from Covid-19 fatigue. When we were under “Safe at Home” orders in Colorado back in March, and for the subsequent 6 weeks, each day felt like an eternity! I couldn’t keep track of what day it was because every day felt like it

A recently published article by Dr. Lawrence Afrin, the author of Never Bet Against Occum: Mast Cell Disease and the Modern Epidemics of Chronic Illness and Medical Complexity, and two other mast cell doctors, have found a consistency of symptoms of Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS) and those of “long-haul COVID-19”. They also postulate that

I have been a patient of Dr. Xiu-Min Li’s for over 5 years now, utilizing her Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) herbs to assist with healing my gut, and minimizing the symptoms I have experienced from the dual diagnoses of Eosinophilic Esophagitis (EoE) and Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS). I have also been slowly weaning myself

A great new book by Nicole Ondatje was published this week. Read below for an interview with Nicole about this great new children’s book! Nicole, you have a new book out called, “Not Today, Butterflies! A Book About Food Allergy Anxiety.” What gave you the idea to write this book? My nine-year-old daughter has severe

You have likely heard of the Faster Act of 2021, but just in case you need a little more information about how it will affect those with sesame allergies, let me just say – it has been a long time coming. First, a little history: When my son, Morgan, was diagnosed at 18 months old

Contents of baby’s first stool were a biomarker for early-life allergy risk in a study of 100 infants. Infants who developed IgE-mediated atopy by age 1 showed a significantly poorer environment in their meconium — the fecal matter accumulated prior to birth and typically expelled within a few days of delivery — for microbiotal development

One of the most talked about food allergies is peanut. Though not the most common food allergy, it’s the most common food associated with severe allergic reactions – so it’s an important one to be educated on. Consider this overview on peanut allergy: from symptoms, diagnosis, and avoiding peanuts, to options for treating the cause.

As the world starts to emerge from the COVID-19 crisis, another global — and even more devastating — existential threat persists: climate change. Worldwide, climate-driven disasters including storms, droughts, fires, and floods displaced more than 10 million people since last September. Here in the western U.S., we face increasingly catastrophic wildfire seasons with powerful effects

Note that some links may require registration or subscription. A new coronavirus variant, BV-1, has been discovered in Texas. (Fox News) The European Medicines Agency said it found a “possible link” between the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine and blood clots and recommended that a warning be added to the vaccine’s label, but they also

“The rooster isn’t causing the sun to come up.” — Paul Offit, MD, of The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, commenting on how a physician who died after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine does not imply a causal relationship between the two events. “He knows about EHR [electronic health record] adoption, he knows about interfaces — the

Wide adoption of infant feeding guidelines calling for peanut introduction during the first year of life in Australia prompted a significant decline in child peanut allergies in that country, researchers reported. In 2016, guidelines in Australia were changed to recommend the introduction of potentially allergic foods such as peanut butter, cooked eggs, dairy, and wheat