We've Moved!

To better reflect the focus of our blog, we have a new name (and a new home) – Food Allergy Living at www.foodallergyliving.net. At the new address, you'll still be able to find blog entries from your favorite nutrition specialists twice a week. But you’ll also find some new goodies that will be updated once a month and distributed to subscribers as a newsletter. You’ll be able to count on a new recipe every month, submit your own questions to the nutrition specialists and see some beautiful smiles in our Neocate Faces section.

Be sure to check it all out at www.FoodAllergyLiving.net and let us know what you think. Also, don't forget to update your bookmarks and RSS feeds. See you all there!

Pediatric Food Allergies Are on the Rise

We've Moved! To better reflect the focus of our blog, we have a new name (and a new home) – Food Allergy Living at www.foodallergyliving.net. At the new address, you'll still be able to find blog entries from your favorite nutrition specialists twice a week. But you’ll also find some new goodies that will be updated once a month and distributed to subscribers as a newsletter. You’ll be able to count on a new recipe every month, submit your own questions to the nutrition specialists and see some beautiful smiles in our Neocate Faces section.

Be sure to check it all out at www.FoodAllergyLiving.net and let us know what you think. Also, don't forget to update your bookmarks and RSS feeds. See you all there!

Did you know that since 1993 childhood food allergies have increased by 18%? While some have questioned whether the increase is real, or just due to an increase in the number of cases actually reported, new research from the Centers for Disease Control suggests that the spike is real.

So what is causing more children to suffer from food allergies? An article I read yesterday from ABC News suggests that the increase could be caused by the introduction of foods to babies too early or super clean environments.

Dr. Clifford Bassett, the medical director of Allergy and Asthma Care of New York who is quoted in the article, says that one theory is that certain foods might be introduced too early to children. Even if you aren’t feeding your baby things like nuts, they might be in the creams or lotions you use on them in the form of oil.

The “hygiene hypothesis” explains another possible cause of increased allergies - super clean environments that are commonly associated with today’s medical and hygiene practices. The article cites Dr. Bill Parker of Duke University Medical Center:, "the immune system essentially lacks a normal workload... however, [it] does what it is built to do, and finds something to attack, often directing its attention toward such harmless things as pollen grains ... even healthy food."

Who knew that being so clean was a bad thing!

Hopefully these new findings will help highlight the seriousness of food allergies and the need for food allergy treatments. Would love to hear your thoughts on the study – make sure to let us know what you’re thinking in the comments section.

-Nita

Why I'm Thankful - Part 2

We've Moved! To better reflect the focus of our blog, we have a new name (and a new home) – Food Allergy Living at www.foodallergyliving.net. At the new address, you'll still be able to find blog entries from your favorite nutrition specialists twice a week. But you’ll also find some new goodies that will be updated once a month and distributed to subscribers as a newsletter. You’ll be able to count on a new recipe every month, submit your own questions to the nutrition specialists and see some beautiful smiles in our Neocate Faces section.

Be sure to check it all out at www.FoodAllergyLiving.net and let us know what you think. Also, don't forget to update your bookmarks and RSS feeds. See you all there!

You may have read Sarah’s “Why I’m Thankful” post last week. If you missed it, we are doing a series this month where we each share what we are thankful for in our own lives. This week is my turn!

I’m thankful to be living in a time with such advanced medical care. Every day I work with families of children whose lives depend on a special food or a special way of receiving nutrients. It scares me to wonder what happened to these children before we had such technology. Some of our Neocate users are allergic to just about everything. Before there were amino acid-based formulas, how could these children thrive or in some severe cases, even survive?

This issue also touches me on a personal level. My little sister, Caroline, has special needs and has depended on various products of technology throughout her life. When she was little, it was a struggle to get enough calories into her and she grew very weak, falling further and further off the growth charts. Her doctor prescribed Duocal, which allowed her to get enough calories to maintain weight and stay healthy. She now has a feeding tube due to dysphagia (swallowing problems) and she is doing great with it! The development of enteral nutrition has allowed children who can’t physically ingest food to get all the nutrients they need to survive and thrive – another great example of an obstacle that medical advancements have allowed us to overcome!

How have medical advancements/technology been a blessing to your family?

- Mallory