Michael C Young - The Peanut Allergy Answer Book, 3rd Ed.

THIRD EDITION

Michael C. Young, M.D.

2013 Fair Winds Press

Text 2001, 2006, 2013 Michael C. Young, M.D.

First published in the USA in 2013 by

Fair Winds Press, a member of

Quayside Publishing Group

100 Cummings Center

Suite 406-L

Beverly, MA 01915-6101

www.fairwindspress.com

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized, in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without prior permission in writing from the publisher.

First edition 2001

Second edition 2006

17 16 15 14 13 1 2 3 4 5

Digital edition published in 2013

Digital edition: 978-1-61058-914-7
Softcover edition: 978-1-59233-567-1

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data available

Cover design: Kathie Alexander

Book design: tabula rasa graphic design

The information in this book is for educational purposes only. It is not intended to replace the advice of a physician or medical practitioner. Please see your health care provider before beginning any new health program.

This book is dedicated to my loving wife and daughter and to my father, who have provided me with their encouragement, inspiration, and love.

I also dedicate this book to the loving memory of my mother, who gave up her career as a young physician to raise my sister and me and inspired us to the call of medicine and learning.

And to all who have food allergies, and to the dedicated people who work hard to make this world a safer place for them, you inspire me and humble me, I dedicate this book to you.

CHAPTER 1
ALLERGIES IN A NUTSHELL

CHAPTER 2
PEANUT ALLERGY 101

CHAPTER 3
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT ANAPHYLAXIS

CHAPTER 4
WHAT TYPES OF ALLERGIC REACTIONS RESULT FROM PEANUT EXPOSURES?

CHAPTER 5
FINDING THE HIDDEN PEANUT PRODUCTS

CHAPTER 6
KEEPING SAFE IN A PEANUT-FILLED WORLD

CHAPTER 7
PREVENTION OF PEANUT AND OTHER FOOD ALLERGIES

CHAPTER 8
THE FUTURE OF PEANUT ALLERGY TREATMENT

One of the true pleasures of practicing the specialty of allergy is having patients who are genuinely interested in finding out the causes and triggers of their problems rather than just treatments and cures. Allergy patients are interested in learning about their problems and how to prevent them. Over the years, I have had the privilege of caring for many patients and their families. I have learned much from all of them, and they are directly responsible for this book.

I would like to extend my deepest gratitude to all of my patients. In particular, I would like to thank Christopher Smith, at the time a peanut-allergic toddler, and his mother, Lisa Lavieri, who looked for a book on peanut allergy and was unable to find one. She discussed this with her sister, Holly Schmidt, who was then publisher of Fair Winds Press. Holly subsequently contacted me to write this book. I owe Chris, his mom, and his Aunt Holly special thanks for the genesis of The Peanut Allergy Answer Book. Holly was highly influential in my early days as an author, greatly improved my writing, and helped shape this book in its early stages of development. For that, I will be always grateful. Particularly satisfying to me is that since the publication of the first edition of this book, Christopher has outgrown his peanut allergy and is now a healthy 16-year-old!

I gratefully acknowledge and thank all my teachers and colleagues, especially my mentors, during my allergy fellowship training at Boston Childrens Hospital, doctors Raif Geha, Donald Leung, Frank Twarog, and Martin Broff, who gave me the opportunity to join his practice. I also thank my many colleagues for reviewing the first edition of this book and giving helpful comments and suggestions: Doctors S. Allan Bock, Martin D. Broff, Raif S. Geha, Donald Leung, James Rosen, Hugh Sampson, John S. Saryan, Lynda Schneider, Albert L. Sheffer, Frank Twarog, and Dale Umetsu.

I have a special word of thanks to Anne Muoz-Furlong, founder of the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN)she is the model of what a dedicated parent can do. She single-handedly revolutionized the field of food allergy by forming the most important organization in the field of food allergy, serving patients, the medical community, and the general public. If my patients provided me with purpose in writing this book, Anne gave me inspiration. Anne has retired and FAAN has merged with the Food Allergy Initiative to become Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE), but their mission and good work continues. I also thank Terry Furlong and Chris Weiss, formerly of FAAN, who contributed to the section on airlines and peanut allergy. I thank Cara Connors, my current editor at Fair Winds Press, who provided invaluable insights and assistance for the third edition of this book. Thanks to her, this edition is the best yet!

I am delighted that for this third edition, the foreword is written by celebrity chef and author Ming Tsai. In addition to being a renowned chef and owner of two popular Massachusetts restaurants, Blue Ginger and Blue Dragon, having his own TV show (Simply Ming), and authoring five books, Ming has tirelessly advocated for the cause of food allergy and food-allergic people. His son had multiple food allergies since infancy and early on, Ming wanted to do something about the tremendous difficulties facing food-allergic children and their families. Ming started by making Blue Ginger one of the first food allergysafe and friendly restaurants, and then extended his efforts to being an advocate and spokesman for the field of food allergy on a local and national level. He helped in the passing of a Massachusetts law in 2010, requiring the education and training of restaurant staff in food allergies, the first law of its kind in the United States. I am honored with Mings involvement with this book and also happy to report his son is now 13 and has resolved his food allergies!

Finally, I thank my family, especially my wife Karen and my daughter Liane, whose understanding and love provide me with the inspiration for all that I do.

In 1999, about the time my son David was around six months old, my wife, Polly, and I noticed he had a rash that wouldnt go away. Turns out it was eczema, which, in infants, is an indicator of food allergies. After testing, he was diagnosed with seven of the eight major allergens: soy, wheat, dairy, shellfish, peanut, tree nut, and fish. Imagine that, the son of a chef being born with major, life-threatening food allergies? Now thats a twist of fate. We soon joined the world of parents trying to navigate the confusing landscape of childrens allergy information and responsibility.

You could say David kick-started my passion and advocacy for allergy awareness. I, in a sense, found my calling. Today, I am proud to be part of many collective efforts taking action and providing assistance to todays allergy-challenged families.

I am a huge fan of the author. Dr. Young and I first met at Childrens Hospital when he was Davids doctor. Our paths have also crossed many times since then. Besides being a top allergy and immunology specialist, he has spearheaded some amazing programs (with Food Allergy Research & Education [FARE] and the childrens show, Arthur, on PBS) to help families learn together on how to live with allergies. He helps them understand how to be vigilant, to recognize potentially problematic foods, and to eat more safely.

This third edition of The Peanut Allergy Answer Book