Scott H. Sicherer - Food Allergies: A Complete Guide for Eating When Your Life Depends on It

ADVANCE PRAISE FOR
Food Allergies: A Complete Guide for Eating When Your Life Depends on It

An indispensable book for anyone who has food allergies or any parent of a child with food allergies. As an allergist treating food-allergic patients every day, I keep this book within easy reach on my bookshelf. Its a unique source of knowledge for those of us who treat such patients.

PHIL LIEBERMAN, M.D.
Clinical Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics
Division of Allergy and Immunology
University of Tennessee College of Medicine

A must-read for teens and adults with food allergies, and for anyone living with or caring for someone with food allergies. Here they will find answers to many of their questions as well as interesting case histories and essential principles of diagnosis and treatment, including a realistic overview of future approaches.

F. ESTELLE R. SIMONS, M.D.
University of Manitoba
Past-President, American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology
Past-President, Canadian Society of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology
Chair, World Allergy Organization Special Committee on Anaphylaxis

Dr. Sicherer draws on his years of experience as a master clinician, researcher, author, and thought leader in this field to provide practical advice and countless insights that are sure to provide the reader with the knowledge needed to understand and manage food allergies. The question-and-answer format makes this comprehensive book highly accessible to people with food allergies and parents of children with food allergies, while the extensive insights and depth of detail make it an important resource for health care providers as well. Dr. Sicherer describes in detail how to integrate food allergies into a family lifestyle. A familys ability to anticipate a food reaction and then treat the symptoms if they happenand not expect a reaction to happen all the timehelps a family cope thoughtfully with food allergies in a child.

A. WESLEY BURKS, M.D.
Chair of Pediatrics, University of North Carolina
President, American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology

In this definitive guide to food allergies, Scott Sicherer offers his readers a complete food allergy education. He demystifies everything from science to symptoms to label reading and offers encouragement for living life to its fullestin spite of food allergies. Destined to be the go-to resource for patients and parents striving to live well with food allergies.

GWEN SMITH
Editor, Allergic Living magazine

Dr. Sicherer answers all the questions parents and others have about food allergies. From practical considerations to emotional issues to the latest in the search for a cureits all here. The easy-to-read question-and-answer format will make this a reference book you reach for time and again. I wholeheartedly recommend it!

ANNE MUOZ-FURLONG
Founder, The Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network
(now Food Allergy Research & Education)

Food Allergies: A Complete Guide for Eating When Your Life Depends on It is required reading for patients, parents, and physicians who want to help patients who have food allergiesyoung or old. Parents should keep a copy of this book next to Understanding and Managing Your Childs Food Allergies (also by Dr. Sicherer) so they can better understand food allergies, obtain better medical care, and ultimately enjoy a better quality of life. As a parent of children with life-threatening food allergies, these are my essential reference books.

AMIE RAPPOPORT MCKENNA
Mother of children with severe food allergies

FOOD ALLERGIES

A Johns Hopkins Press Health Book

A COMPLETE GUIDE FOR
EATING WHEN YOUR LIFE
DEPENDS ON IT

SCOTT H. SICHERER, M.D.

Foreword by Maria Laura Acebal, Food Allergy Research & Education
(formerly The Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network)

Introduction by Hugh A. Sampson, M.D., Jaffe Food Allergy Institute,
Mount Sinai School of Medicine

Medical disclaimer. This book is not meant to substitute for medical care of people with allergies, and treatment should not be based solely on its contents. Instead, treatment must be developed in a dialogue between the individual and his or her physician. This book has been written to help with that dialogue. The author and publisher are not responsible for any adverse consequences resulting from the use of information in this book.

Drug dosage. The author and publisher have made reasonable efforts to determine that selection and dosage of drugs discussed in this text conform to the practices of the general medical community. The medications described do not necessarily have specific approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for use in the diseases and dosages for which they are recommended. In view of ongoing research, changes in governmental regulations, and the constant flow of information relating to drug therapy and drug reactions, the reader is urged to check the package insert of each drug for any change in indications and dosage and for warnings and precautions. This is particularly important when the recommended agent is a new and/or infrequently used drug.

Copyright 2013 Scott H. Sicherer, M.D.

All rights reserved. Published 2013 by the Johns Hopkins University Press

Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper

9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

The Johns Hopkins University Press

2715 North Charles Street

Baltimore, Maryland 21218-4363

www.press.jhu.edu

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Sicherer, Scott H.

Food allergies : a complete guide for eating when your life depends on it / Scott H. Sicherer ; foreword by Maria Laura Acebal ; introduction by Hugh A. Sampson.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-1-4214-0844-6 (hdbk. : alk. paper) ISBN 978-1-4214-0845-3 (pbk. : alk. paper) ISBN 978-1-4214-0898-9 (electronic) ISBN 1-4214-0844-9 (hdbk. : alk. paper) ISBN 1-4214-0845-7 (pbk. : alk. paper) ISBN 1-4214-0898-8 (electronic)

1. Food allergyDiet therapy. I. Title.

RC588.D53S56 2013

A catalog record for this book is available from the British Library.

The Food Allergy Action Plan is reprinted with permission from Food Allergy Research & Education (formerly the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network); www.foodallergy.org .

Special discounts are available for bulk purchases of this book. For more information, please contact Special Sales at 410-516-6936 or specialsales@press.jhu.edu.

The Johns Hopkins University Press uses environmentally friendly book materials, including recycled text paper that is composed of at least 30 percent post-consumer waste, whenever possible.

, by Maria Laura Acebal

, by Hugh A. Sampson, M.D.

Chapter 1.
What Are the BASIC FACTS about Food Allergy?

Chapter 2.
What Do I Need to Tell the Doctor to
Help Get a FOOD ALLERGY DIAGNOSIS?

Chapter 3.
These Food ALLERGY TESTS Are Confusing!
What Do They Mean?

Chapter 4.
What Is ANAPHYLAXIS and How Do I Treat It?