A 13-year-old from Chicago died Friday after eating something that must have contained her allergen at a school Christmas party. My heart goes out to this family! Please, let's all be extra vigilant about keeping our allergic children safe during the holiday celebrations!
Full article here:
http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news%2Flocal&id=7854968
Monday, December 20, 2010
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Dairy-free and Delicious!
I'm really not a fan of soy cheese...or rice cheese for that matter. I don't like the smell, the taste, or the texture. Brody will eat it occasionally, but prefers to just go "cheeseless". Lately I've heard a lot of good comments about a fairly new product. I was hesitant to give it a try though because I'm tired of spending a small fortune on supposedly good-tasting cheese alternatives and then being let down by the taste once we get it home. But for Brody's sake, I'm determined to keep hunting for new food items he will enjoy...especially a great-tasting dairy-free cheese. For us, the hunt is finally over! Daiya dairy-free "cheese" is amazing! It comes in mozarella-style and cheddar-style shreds. This is by far the closest tasting to real cheese that I have ever found in a dairy-free product. So far we have enjoyed Mac-n-"Cheese", "Cheesey" Hashbrowns, Sloppy Lasagna, Pizza, Calzones, and grilled "cheese" sandwiches...and every single recipe was a huge hit with the entire family! Brody now calls Daiya "the good cheese" and asks if he can add some of the shreds on just about everything. Last night he sprinkled "the good cheese" on top of his mashed potatoes. Yum!
Let me know what you think of Daiya shreds if you give it a try!
http://www.daiyafoods.com/index.html
Sloppy Lasagna
"Cheesey Hashbrowns"
Let me know what you think of Daiya shreds if you give it a try!
http://www.daiyafoods.com/index.html
Sloppy Lasagna
"Cheesey Hashbrowns"
Birthday Boy!
A plateful of homemade donuts for the birthday boy's breakfast! Happy 11th Birthday Brody!!
Milk Allergy Alert
Tofutti Brands Inc. has announced a precautionary recall of 25 pallets of its 4-Pack YOURS TRULY frozen dessert cones (UPC 0-20188-01500-9) due to possible trace level milk contamination reported for one lot of product shipped which was produced in August of 2010.
YOURS TRULY CONES are labeled as Milk Free and persons who have an allergy or severe sensitivity or intolerance to Milk products run the risk of serious or life-threatening injury if they consume products with milk ingredients. Tofutti Brands uses stringent quality controls to prevent milk contamination of its products and sells tens of millions of ice cream novelty products each year.
The 25 pallets from the suspect lot are being recalled. The bulk of these 25 pallets were sold along the east coast and the Midwest. None of the suspected lot was sold to any west coast distributors or stores.
The product in the above 25 pallets is identified by the labeled Manufacturing facility code 18-497 which will appear printed on one of the two end flaps of the box of the YOURS TRULY CONES along with a production code of either 2330 or 2350, which will follow right after the plant code.
Consumers who may have purchased YOURS TRULY CONES bearing these codes are urged to return them to the place of purchase for a full refund. This recall does not involve any of the Company’s other frozen dessert products. Consumers with questions may contact the Company at 908-272-2400, Monday-Friday, from 9:00AM-5:00PM EST, or email us at info@tofutti.com.
http://webnewsvoice.com/tofutti-brands-recalls-frozen-dessert-cones/222929/
YOURS TRULY CONES are labeled as Milk Free and persons who have an allergy or severe sensitivity or intolerance to Milk products run the risk of serious or life-threatening injury if they consume products with milk ingredients. Tofutti Brands uses stringent quality controls to prevent milk contamination of its products and sells tens of millions of ice cream novelty products each year.
The 25 pallets from the suspect lot are being recalled. The bulk of these 25 pallets were sold along the east coast and the Midwest. None of the suspected lot was sold to any west coast distributors or stores.
The product in the above 25 pallets is identified by the labeled Manufacturing facility code 18-497 which will appear printed on one of the two end flaps of the box of the YOURS TRULY CONES along with a production code of either 2330 or 2350, which will follow right after the plant code.
Consumers who may have purchased YOURS TRULY CONES bearing these codes are urged to return them to the place of purchase for a full refund. This recall does not involve any of the Company’s other frozen dessert products. Consumers with questions may contact the Company at 908-272-2400, Monday-Friday, from 9:00AM-5:00PM EST, or email us at info@tofutti.com.
http://webnewsvoice.com/tofutti-brands-recalls-frozen-dessert-cones/222929/
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Monday, November 8, 2010
Why you should carry two doses of epinephrine
This study looks at the percentage of children with food-induced anaphlyaxis who required more than one dose of epinephrine:
http://www.jpeds.com/article/PIIS0022347610007791/fulltext
Bottom line...Always carry two doses of epinephrine where ever you go. It might just save your child's life!
http://www.jpeds.com/article/PIIS0022347610007791/fulltext
Bottom line...Always carry two doses of epinephrine where ever you go. It might just save your child's life!
Congratulations Brody!
After (almost) 5 long years of hard work, Brody has earned his Black Belt in Karate! We are extremely proud of him for setting his sights on a goal and never even thinking about giving up. Good job, Brody! I-Ya!
Friday, September 24, 2010
Intelliject
Millions of people at risk for severe allergic reactions to certain foods and bee stings rely on pen-sized syringes that contain a life-saving dose of the drug epinephrine to administer in an emergency.
As lifelong allergy sufferers, twin brothers Eric S. Edwards and Evan T. Edwards,co-founders of the Richmond-based specialty pharmaceutical firm Intelliject Inc., keep their epinephrine auto-injectors close by.
As grateful as the brothers are to have the existing injector technology available, from their own experiences they've concluded there has to be a better injector system.
The 29-year-old brothers and their management team have built Intelliject around the goal of creating a more intuitive, compact and safer emergency epinephrine delivery system.Their result -- a credit card-sized device that "talks" users through administering epinephrine.
Read full article here...
http://www2.newsadvance.com/business/2010/jan/06/brothers_of_invention-ar-216416/
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As lifelong allergy sufferers, twin brothers Eric S. Edwards and Evan T. Edwards,co-founders of the Richmond-based specialty pharmaceutical firm Intelliject Inc., keep their epinephrine auto-injectors close by.
As grateful as the brothers are to have the existing injector technology available, from their own experiences they've concluded there has to be a better injector system.
The 29-year-old brothers and their management team have built Intelliject around the goal of creating a more intuitive, compact and safer emergency epinephrine delivery system.Their result -- a credit card-sized device that "talks" users through administering epinephrine.
Read full article here...
http://www2.newsadvance.com/business/2010/jan/06/brothers_of_invention-ar-216416/
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Sunday, September 5, 2010
2010 Food Allergy Awareness Walk Photos
Thanks to everyone who came out to help raise awareness for food allergies this year!
How Asthma Makes Me Feel - Video
Allergy & Asthma Network Mothers of Asthmatics (AANMA) asked children to tell us—in pictures and in their own words—how they felt during an asthma attack, and how they felt when they could breathe again. What they told us was enlightening—and heart-rending.
We collected their drawings and stories to share in this video. Read more about this project here:
http://www.aanma.org/publication/special-pubs/how-asthma-makes-me-feel/
We collected their drawings and stories to share in this video. Read more about this project here:
http://www.aanma.org/publication/special-pubs/how-asthma-makes-me-feel/
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Cold Urticaria
The allergy fun just never ends! Brody has developed cold urticaria, or basically an allergy to cold. This started back in January when I got a call from school saying that Brody was in the nurse's office because his face was red, blotchy, and itchy. Sounded like a mild allergic reaction of some sort to me, so I told the nurse to give him benadryl and I jumped in the car and drove over to the school (only 5 minutes from my house) to see what was going on. By the time I got there, the nurse said the redness had already subsided a bit. Mostly at this point his chin was still covered in little bumps and itchy. After giving Brody the third degree about everything he touched and ate that day, we decided that this was probably the result of cross-contamination in his classroom. He is in a nut-free classroom and always eats his own snack from home, but with all of Brody's other allergies, unfortunately it isn't out of the question that something like this could happen on occasion. Especially since many of his classmates eat cheesy-type crackers for snack most days. I discussed this with his teacher and she said she would try to be much more on top of making sure all the kids wash their hands after eating their snacks. And that was that...or so I thought.
In February we took a family trip to Florida where one day was spent at Daytona Beach. The water was FRIGID so we had no intention of swimming, but we thoroughly enjoyed wading in the ocean just up to our mid-calves to pick shells for souvenirs. The boys were also sitting in the cold, wet sand building sand castles. After about an hour I noticed that Brody's legs and hands were looking very blotchy. By the time we got into the car to leave he was complaining that he was very itchy and the blotches definitely looked more hive-like at that point. I think his hands were even slightly swollen. The only explanation we could come up with at that time was perhaps someone with a shellfish allergy and very sensitive skin would react to swimming in an ocean, obviously full of shellfish. I gave him benadryl and the hives completely went away within an hour.
In June Brody and his brother had some friends over. They decided to turn on the hose and take turns spraying each other. Of course water out of a hose is always very cold. After a while Brody came into the house and showed me his hands and feet. They were covered with hives just like when we were at the ocean. At this point it suddenly dawned on me what was going on. I had heard of cold urticaria before, but never gave it much thought. Since Brody was soaking wet and shivering, I told him to go into the bathroom and strip off the wet clothes while I grabbed him something dry to put on. When I walked into the bathroom I realized that most of his body was covered in hives and he was scratching at them like mad. I whipped out the benadryl, called my husband to grab the camera so we could document what was going on, and wrapped Brody in a towel to warm his skin back up. When I spoke with the allergist a few days later, he agreed that it sounded like a case of cold urticaria.
So back to that day at school where his face was hivey...Brody finally remembered that right before this happened he had been outside for recess where he joined in a snowball fight and he ended up with a face full of snow! A-ha...mystery solved!
Here is a blurb from the Mayo Clinic website about cold urticaria:
As strange as it sounds, it's possible to have an allergy to cold temperatures. Doctors refer to this as cold urticaria (ur-tih-KAR-ee-uh). It's also sometimes called cold allergy or cold hives. With cold urticaria, exposure to cold temperatures causes redness, itching, swelling and hives on your skin. As much as possible, people with cold urticaria should avoid exposure to cold air as well as cold water. For example, swimming in cold water is the most common cause of a severe, whole-body reaction — leading to fainting, shock and even death.
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cold-urticaria/DS01160
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In February we took a family trip to Florida where one day was spent at Daytona Beach. The water was FRIGID so we had no intention of swimming, but we thoroughly enjoyed wading in the ocean just up to our mid-calves to pick shells for souvenirs. The boys were also sitting in the cold, wet sand building sand castles. After about an hour I noticed that Brody's legs and hands were looking very blotchy. By the time we got into the car to leave he was complaining that he was very itchy and the blotches definitely looked more hive-like at that point. I think his hands were even slightly swollen. The only explanation we could come up with at that time was perhaps someone with a shellfish allergy and very sensitive skin would react to swimming in an ocean, obviously full of shellfish. I gave him benadryl and the hives completely went away within an hour.
In June Brody and his brother had some friends over. They decided to turn on the hose and take turns spraying each other. Of course water out of a hose is always very cold. After a while Brody came into the house and showed me his hands and feet. They were covered with hives just like when we were at the ocean. At this point it suddenly dawned on me what was going on. I had heard of cold urticaria before, but never gave it much thought. Since Brody was soaking wet and shivering, I told him to go into the bathroom and strip off the wet clothes while I grabbed him something dry to put on. When I walked into the bathroom I realized that most of his body was covered in hives and he was scratching at them like mad. I whipped out the benadryl, called my husband to grab the camera so we could document what was going on, and wrapped Brody in a towel to warm his skin back up. When I spoke with the allergist a few days later, he agreed that it sounded like a case of cold urticaria.
So back to that day at school where his face was hivey...Brody finally remembered that right before this happened he had been outside for recess where he joined in a snowball fight and he ended up with a face full of snow! A-ha...mystery solved!
Here is a blurb from the Mayo Clinic website about cold urticaria:
As strange as it sounds, it's possible to have an allergy to cold temperatures. Doctors refer to this as cold urticaria (ur-tih-KAR-ee-uh). It's also sometimes called cold allergy or cold hives. With cold urticaria, exposure to cold temperatures causes redness, itching, swelling and hives on your skin. As much as possible, people with cold urticaria should avoid exposure to cold air as well as cold water. For example, swimming in cold water is the most common cause of a severe, whole-body reaction — leading to fainting, shock and even death.
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cold-urticaria/DS01160
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Friday, August 13, 2010
Food Allergy Action Plan
FAAN has released a revised food allergy action plan to be completed by your child's doctor. It has separate sections for "severe symptoms" vs. "mild symptoms".
http://www.foodallergy.org/files/FAAP.pdf
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http://www.foodallergy.org/files/FAAP.pdf
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Tuesday, August 10, 2010
MedicAlert EMIR
Does your food allergic child have a MedicAlert bracelet? If so, how long has it been since you last updated your child's Emergency Medical Information Record (EMIR)? Have any medications changed? How about dosages and/or frequencies? What about emergency and physician contacts? Any newly developed food, drug, or other allergies? All of this valuable information is stored in your EMIR and can help save your child's life in an emergency. With the new school year fast approaching, now would be a good time to update your child's EMIR because in an anaphylactic emergency every second counts!
www.medicalert.org
www.medicalert.org
Thursday, July 29, 2010
New Bisquick - Gluten Free!
Keep an eye out in your local grocery store for the new Gluten Free Bisquick coming out summer 2010!
The ingredients for the Gluten-Free Bisquick are:
Rice Flour, Sugar, Leavening (baking soda, sodium aluminum phosphate, monocalcium phosphate), Modified Potato Starch, Salt, Xanthan Gum
Also be sure to check out the Betty Crocker website for lots of gluten-free recipes!
http://www.bettycrocker.com/products/bisquick/glutenfree.aspx
The ingredients for the Gluten-Free Bisquick are:
Rice Flour, Sugar, Leavening (baking soda, sodium aluminum phosphate, monocalcium phosphate), Modified Potato Starch, Salt, Xanthan Gum
Also be sure to check out the Betty Crocker website for lots of gluten-free recipes!
http://www.bettycrocker.com/products/bisquick/glutenfree.aspx
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Friday, July 23, 2010
EpiPen and Asthma Inhaler Carriers
August is almost here and that means only about a month is left before the kiddos head back to school again. Before long it will be time to renew all of your child’s medications to be left at school including inhalers, Benadryl, and of course EpiPens! Does your child self carry their EpiPen while at school? My son started self-carrying both his EpiPen and his inhaler when he started second grade. Both he and I felt much more at ease knowing that his medication was on his body at all times. He wears one EpiPen in a MediPouch around his waist while the second EpiPen is kept in the nurses office. His inhaler is either worn in a Med Ready Tote or in a sealable pocket if he is wearing cargo-style shorts/jeans. Of course by no means is self-carrying the EpiPen the same thing as self-administering. Although now at age 10½ I do believe my son could self-administer the EpiPen if need be, adults should always be trained in what signs/symptoms to watch for and how to administer the medication. Having a child know how to administer an EpiPen is one thing, but being able to do it in the face of anaphylaxis is an entirely different matter!
If you are considering letting your child self-carry, you may be wondering what type of carrier to purchase. I’ve been keeping a running list of all EpiPen and asthma inhaler carriers as I find them on the web. I have not, however, checked to see if all of these carriers will be able to hold the newly designed EpiPens as they are slightly larger, so you will need to check into that yourself before placing an order. I hope this list will be helpful to you and your food allergic child as you gear up for the start of another school year!
EpiPen Carriers
@RiskRescue
http://www.atriskrescue.com/kit.html
Adorn handbag and messenger bag
http://www.adorndesigns.com/
Allergy Haven
http://www.allergyhaven.com/c/epi-pen
AllergyKids
http://www.allergykids.com/product.php?proid=11&sub_catid=
AllergyPack
http://www.allergypack.com/
Ana-Tote
http://www.allstarsales.ca/index.html?lang=en-us&target=d17.html
E-belt
http://www.ebelt.ca/products.asp
Epi-Access
http://www.epiaccess.ca/en/single.htm
Epinephrine Mate
https://www.foodallergy.org/shoppingcart/shopwelcome.shtml
EpiPuppy
http://www.epipuppy.com/
FRIO wallets (keep medications cool)
http://www.coolerconcept.com/pages/prod2.htm
KozyEpi EpiPen and Puffer Pouches
http://www.kozyepi.com/index.htm
Medipouch
http://www.medipouch.com/
Omaxcare Leg Buddy & Asthma Pal
http://www.omaxcare.com/
Safety Sack
http://www.safetysack.com/
American Adventure Products
http://www.americanadventureproducts.com/old-backup/epipen.html
Peace of Mind Allergy Solutions (Custom made EpiPen carriers)
http://www.peaceofmindallergy.com/index.php
Take In Case
http://www.takeincase.com/
ActiveAide
http://www.activeaide.com/us/
LivALittle
http://www.livalittle.ca/epi-pouch.asp
Protectube (waterproof case)
http://www.achooallergy.com/acc-protectube.asp
Concealed EpiPen (Waist Pal, Waist Buddy, Leg Buddy)
http://www.concealedepipen.com/index.html
Waterproof bags
http://www.rei.com/product/752383
http://www.aquapac.net/usstore/aquapac-us-store-1-0.html
http://www.allstarsales.ca/index1.html
Inhaler Carriers
Med Ready Tote
http://www.medreadytote.com/buy.shtml
PuffaPouch
http://www.puffapouch.com/
Asthma Pod
http://www.asthmapods.com/
Respire
http://www.respirecases.com/index.aspx
Forget-Med-Not
http://forgetmednot.com/
Inhaler Wallet
http://www.lifesolutionsplus.com/inhaler-wallet-p-468.html
Belt or Pocket Sized Inhaler Case
http://www.redflarekits.com/pc/10030/pac/Belt+or+Pocket+Sized+Inhaler+Case
The Azmate
http://www.theazmate.com/index.html
Glow Cap
http://www.glowcap.co.uk/
Inhaler Mate
http://www.inhalermate.com/index.php
The Doser
http://www.doser.com/index.html
Mitzy
http://www.mitzy.com.au/
If you are considering letting your child self-carry, you may be wondering what type of carrier to purchase. I’ve been keeping a running list of all EpiPen and asthma inhaler carriers as I find them on the web. I have not, however, checked to see if all of these carriers will be able to hold the newly designed EpiPens as they are slightly larger, so you will need to check into that yourself before placing an order. I hope this list will be helpful to you and your food allergic child as you gear up for the start of another school year!
EpiPen Carriers
@RiskRescue
http://www.atriskrescue.com/kit.html
Adorn handbag and messenger bag
http://www.adorndesigns.com/
Allergy Haven
http://www.allergyhaven.com/c/epi-pen
AllergyKids
http://www.allergykids.com/product.php?proid=11&sub_catid=
AllergyPack
http://www.allergypack.com/
Ana-Tote
http://www.allstarsales.ca/index.html?lang=en-us&target=d17.html
E-belt
http://www.ebelt.ca/products.asp
Epi-Access
http://www.epiaccess.ca/en/single.htm
Epinephrine Mate
https://www.foodallergy.org/shoppingcart/shopwelcome.shtml
EpiPuppy
http://www.epipuppy.com/
FRIO wallets (keep medications cool)
http://www.coolerconcept.com/pages/prod2.htm
KozyEpi EpiPen and Puffer Pouches
http://www.kozyepi.com/index.htm
Medipouch
http://www.medipouch.com/
Omaxcare Leg Buddy & Asthma Pal
http://www.omaxcare.com/
Safety Sack
http://www.safetysack.com/
American Adventure Products
http://www.americanadventureproducts.com/old-backup/epipen.html
Peace of Mind Allergy Solutions (Custom made EpiPen carriers)
http://www.peaceofmindallergy.com/index.php
Take In Case
http://www.takeincase.com/
ActiveAide
http://www.activeaide.com/us/
LivALittle
http://www.livalittle.ca/epi-pouch.asp
Protectube (waterproof case)
http://www.achooallergy.com/acc-protectube.asp
Concealed EpiPen (Waist Pal, Waist Buddy, Leg Buddy)
http://www.concealedepipen.com/index.html
Waterproof bags
http://www.rei.com/product/752383
http://www.aquapac.net/usstore/aquapac-us-store-1-0.html
http://www.allstarsales.ca/index1.html
Inhaler Carriers
Med Ready Tote
http://www.medreadytote.com/buy.shtml
PuffaPouch
http://www.puffapouch.com/
Asthma Pod
http://www.asthmapods.com/
Respire
http://www.respirecases.com/index.aspx
Forget-Med-Not
http://forgetmednot.com/
Inhaler Wallet
http://www.lifesolutionsplus.com/inhaler-wallet-p-468.html
Belt or Pocket Sized Inhaler Case
http://www.redflarekits.com/pc/10030/pac/Belt+or+Pocket+Sized+Inhaler+Case
The Azmate
http://www.theazmate.com/index.html
Glow Cap
http://www.glowcap.co.uk/
Inhaler Mate
http://www.inhalermate.com/index.php
The Doser
http://www.doser.com/index.html
Mitzy
http://www.mitzy.com.au/
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Update on baked-in egg
It's been a little over a month since the baked-in egg challenge. We had a bit of a rough start though. The first item I decided to bake was a batch of Sunbutter Blonde Brownies. When I took the pan out of the oven, Brody was very excited to get a taste of this new treat! After cooling slightly (because he just couldn't wait any longer), I cut a small corner piece for him to try. He loved it! I told him we should start out slow to make sure he wouldn't have any type of reaction, so that was all he was getting for the time being. Soon after, Brody started complaining that he had a stomachache. Then it progressed to "the worst pain I've ever felt...like someone is stabbing me in the stomach with a knife". He tried to make himself vomit several times because he was sure he would feel better to get it out, but he never did. I felt so horrible for my little guy and my husband and I were both wondering if this was going to progress to an EpiPen moment. The pain lasted for about an hour and then suddenly it was gone and he felt absolutely fine again.
While this was all happening, Josh decided to dig into the brownies himself. When I went into the kitchen and looked at the pan of brownies I realized that the center had not totally baked through enough and were very gooey. So my guess is that the stomachache was most certainly due to undercooked brownies, even though the corner piece he ate seemed okay. Next time I make that recipe, I will definitely bake them in a larger pan (these were quite thick) and make sure the center is not gooey at all before he eats any of them.
The next day I decided to give cookies a try...letting them bake a tad longer than I normally would. He seemed a bit hesitant to try them at first. Can't blame him after that horrible stomachache the night before! He ate a few bites and said his stomach felt funny. It never progressed past that and the feeling went away very quickly. I think it was probably just his nerves more than anything. He has since been eating cookies containing eggs with no problems.
I have to say, his favorites by far right now have been cinnamon quick bread and homemade waffles (only 1 egg per entire batch) which he eats every morning for breakfast. It will be very interesting to see whether his RAST for raw egg is going up or down at our next allergy appointment!
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While this was all happening, Josh decided to dig into the brownies himself. When I went into the kitchen and looked at the pan of brownies I realized that the center had not totally baked through enough and were very gooey. So my guess is that the stomachache was most certainly due to undercooked brownies, even though the corner piece he ate seemed okay. Next time I make that recipe, I will definitely bake them in a larger pan (these were quite thick) and make sure the center is not gooey at all before he eats any of them.
The next day I decided to give cookies a try...letting them bake a tad longer than I normally would. He seemed a bit hesitant to try them at first. Can't blame him after that horrible stomachache the night before! He ate a few bites and said his stomach felt funny. It never progressed past that and the feeling went away very quickly. I think it was probably just his nerves more than anything. He has since been eating cookies containing eggs with no problems.
I have to say, his favorites by far right now have been cinnamon quick bread and homemade waffles (only 1 egg per entire batch) which he eats every morning for breakfast. It will be very interesting to see whether his RAST for raw egg is going up or down at our next allergy appointment!
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U.S. Department of Transportation proposes peanut ban on airlines
http://www.kansascity.com/2010/06/02/1988891/rules-aim-for-better-air-travel.html
The U.S. Department of Transportation on Wednesday proposed new rules designed to protect air passengers. One would restrict serving peanuts. The restriction could work in one of three ways:
•Ban the serving of all peanut products on domestic flights and international flights to and from the United States
•Ban the serving of all peanut products on flights where a passenger with peanut allergy requests a peanut-free flight in advance
•Require a peanut-free buffer zone in the immediate area of the passenger with a documented severe allergy to peanuts if a peanut-free flight is requested
The public will have 60 days to comment. Go to www.regulations.gov (Docket No. DOT-OST-2010-0140) and let your voice be heard!
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The U.S. Department of Transportation on Wednesday proposed new rules designed to protect air passengers. One would restrict serving peanuts. The restriction could work in one of three ways:
•Ban the serving of all peanut products on domestic flights and international flights to and from the United States
•Ban the serving of all peanut products on flights where a passenger with peanut allergy requests a peanut-free flight in advance
•Require a peanut-free buffer zone in the immediate area of the passenger with a documented severe allergy to peanuts if a peanut-free flight is requested
The public will have 60 days to comment. Go to www.regulations.gov (Docket No. DOT-OST-2010-0140) and let your voice be heard!
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Thursday, May 6, 2010
Children's Benadryl, Zyrtec, Tylenol and Motrin RECALLED
McNeil Consumer Healthcare Announces Voluntary Recall of Certain OTC Infants’ and Children’s Products
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - April 30, 2010 – Fort Washington, PA. McNeil Consumer Healthcare, Division of McNEIL-PPC, Inc., in consultation with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), is voluntarily recalling all lots that have not yet expired of certain over-the-counter (OTC) Children’s and Infants’ liquid products manufactured in the United States and distributed in the United States, Canada, Dominican Republic, Dubai (UAE), Fiji, Guam, Guatemala, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Panama, Trinidad & Tobago, and Kuwait. (SEE RECALLED PRODUCT LIST BELOW).
McNeil Consumer Healthcare is initiating this voluntary recall because some of these products may not meet required quality standards. This recall is not being undertaken on the basis of adverse medical events. However, as a precautionary measure, parents and caregivers should not administer these products to their children. Some of the products included in the recall may contain a higher concentration of active ingredient than is specified; others may contain inactive ingredients that may not meet internal testing requirements; and others may contain tiny particles. While the potential for serious medical events is remote, the company advises consumers who have purchased these recalled products to discontinue use.
The company is conducting a comprehensive quality assessment across its manufacturing operations and has identified corrective actions that will be implemented before new manufacturing is initiated at the plant where the recalled products were made.
Consumers can contact the company at 1-888-222-6036 and also at www.mcneilproductrecall.com1. Parents and caregivers who are not sure about alternative pediatric health treatment options should talk to their doctor or pharmacist and are reminded to never give drug products to infants and children that are not intended for those age groups as this could result in serious harm
For additional information, including affected NDC numbers, consumers should visit our website www.mcneilproductrecall.com or call 1-888-222-6036 (Monday-Friday 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Eastern Time, and Saturday-Sunday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern Time). Any adverse reactions may also be reported to the FDA’s MedWatch Program by fax at 1-800-FDA-0178, by mail at MedWatch, FDA, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD 20852-9787, or on the MedWatch website at www.fda.gov/medwatch2.|
McNeil Consumer Healthcare, Division of McNeil-PPC, Inc. markets a broad range of well-known OTC products.
PRODUCTS NDC Number
TYLENOL® INFANTS’ DROPS:
CONCENTRATED TYLENOL® INFANTS’ DROPS 1 OZ. GRAPE FLAVOR 50580-144-01
CONCENTRATED TYLENOL® INFANTS’ DROPS 0.5 OZ. GRAPE FLAVOR* 50580-144-15
CONCENTRATED TYLENOL® INFANTS’ DROPS 1 OZ. CHERRY DYE FREE 50580-167-01
CONCENTRATED TYLENOL® INFANTS’ DROPS 0.5 OZ. CHERRY FLAVOR 50580-143-15
CONCENTRATED TYLENOL® INFANTS’ DROPS 1 OZ. CHERRY FLAVOR 50580-143-30
CONCENTRATED TYLENOL® INFANTS’ DROPS 0.5 OZ. GRAPE - HOSPITAL 50580-144-18
CONCENTRATED TYLENOL® INFANTS’ DROPS 0.25 OZ. GRAPE - SAMPLE 50580-144-40
CHILDREN’S TYLENOL® SUSPENSIONS:
CHILDREN’S TYLENOL® SUSPENSION 2 OZ. CHERRY BLAST FLAVOR 50580-123-02
CHILDREN’S TYLENOL® SUSPENSION 4 OZ. CHERRY BLAST FLAVOR 50580-123-04
CHILDREN’S TYLENOL® DYE-FREE SUSPENSION 4 OZ. CHERRY FLAVOR 50580-166-04
CHILDREN’S TYLENOL® SUSPENSION 4 OZ. GRAPE SPLASH 50580-296-04
CHILDREN’S TYLENOL® SUSPENSION 4 OZ. BUBBLEGUM FLAVOR 50580-407-04
CHILDREN’S TYLENOL® SUSPENSION 4 OZ. VERY BERRY STRAWBERRY FLAVOR 50580-493-04
CHILDREN’S TYLENOL® SUSPENSION 1 OZ. CHERRY BLAST FLAVOR – SAMPLE 50580-123-01
CHILDREN’S TYLENOL® SUSPENSION 4 OZ. CHERRY BLAST FLAVOR – HOSPITAL 50580-123-03
CHILDREN’S TYLENOL® PLUS SUSPENSIONS:
CHILDREN’S TYLENOL® PLUS SUSPENSION 4 OZ. COUGH & SORE THROAT CHERRY FLAVOR 50580-247-04
CHILDREN’S TYLENOL® PLUS SUSPENSION 4 OZ. COUGH & RUNNY NOSE CHERRY FLAVOR 50580-249-04
CHILDREN’S TYLENOL® PLUS DYE-FREE SUSPENSION 4 OZ. COLD & STUFFY NOSE GRAPE FLAVOR 50580-253-04
CHILDREN’S TYLENOL® PLUS DYE-FREE SUSPENSION 4 OZ. COLD & COUGH GRAPE FLAVOR 50580-254-04
CHILDREN’S TYLENOL® PLUS DYE-FREE SUSPENSION 4 OZ. MULTI-SYMPTOM COLD GRAPE FLAVOR 50580-255-04
CHILDREN’S TYLENOL® PLUS SUSPENSION 4 OZ. FLU BUBBLEGUM FLAVOR 50580-386-04
CHILDREN’S TYLENOL® PLUS SUSPENSION 4 OZ. COLD GRAPE FLAVOR 50580-387-04
CHILDREN’S TYLENOL® PLUS SUSPENSION 4 OZ. COLD & ALLERGY BUBBLEGUM FLAVOR 50580-390-04
CHILDREN’S TYLENOL® PLUS SUSPENSION 4 OZ. MULTI-SYMPTOM COLD GRAPE FLAVOR 50580-391-04
MOTRIN® INFANTS’ DROPS:
CONCENTRATED MOTRIN® INFANTS’ DROPS 1 OZ. BERRY DYE FREE 50580-198-01
CONCENTRATED MOTRIN® INFANTS’ DROPS 0.5 OZ. BERRY DYE FREE 50580-198-15
CONCENTRATED MOTRIN® INFANTS’ DROPS 0.5 OZ. BERRY FLAVOR* 50580-100-15
CHILDREN’S MOTRIN® SUSPENSIONS:
CHILDREN’S MOTRIN® SUSPENSION 4 OZ. BERRY DYE FREE 50580-184-04
CHILDREN’S MOTRIN® SUSPENSION 2 OZ. BERRY FLAVOR 50580-601-02
CHILDREN’S MOTRIN® SUSPENSION 4 OZ. BERRY FLAVOR 50580-601-04
CHILDREN’S MOTRIN® SUSPENSION 4 OZ. TROPICAL PUNCH FLAVOR 50580-215-04
CHILDREN’S MOTRIN® SUSPENSION 4 OZ. GRAPE FLAVOR 50580-603-04
CHILDREN’S MOTRIN® SUSPENSION 4 OZ. BUBBLEGUM FLAVOR 50580-604-04
CHILDREN’S MOTRIN® SUSPENSION 1 OZ. GRAPE SAMPLE 50580-603-01
CHILDREN’S MOTRIN® SUSPENSION 1 OZ. BUBBLEGUM SAMPLE 50580-604-01
CHILDREN’S MOTRIN® SUSPENSION 1 OZ. BERRY SAMPLE 50580-601-01
CHILDREN’S MOTRIN® SUSPENSION 4 OZ. BERRY HOSPITAL 50580-601-50
CHILDREN’S MOTRIN® SUSPENSION 4 OZ. COLD BERRY FLAVOR 50580-902-04
CHILDREN’S ZYRTEC® LIQUIDS IN BOTTLES:
CHILDREN’S ZYRTEC® 4 OZ. BUBBLEGUM SYRUP 50580-721-04
CHILDREN’S ZYRTEC® DYE FREE 4 OZ. GRAPE SYRUP 50580-730-04
CHILDREN’S ZYRTEC® SUGAR-FREE DYE-FREE 0.5 OZ. GRAPE 50580-730-15
CHILDREN’S ZYRTEC® SUGAR-FREE DYE-FREE 0.5 OZ. BUBBLEGUM 50580-721-15
CHILDREN’S ZYRTEC® SUGAR-FREE DYE-FREE 2 X 4 OZ. BUBBLEGUM LIQUID 50580-721-08
CHILDREN'S BENADRYL® ALLERGY LIQUIDS IN BOTTLES:
CHILDREN'S BENADRYL® ALLERGY 4 OZ. BUBBLEGUM FLAVORED LIQUID 50580-535-04
* CONCENTRATED TYLENOL® INFANTS’ DROPS 0.5 OZ. GRAPE FLAVOR is also included in JOHNSON'S ® Baby Relief Kit.
*CONCENTRATED MOTRIN® INFANTS’ DROPS 0.5 OZ. BERRY FLAVOR is also included in JOHNSON'S ® Baby Relief Kit
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - April 30, 2010 – Fort Washington, PA. McNeil Consumer Healthcare, Division of McNEIL-PPC, Inc., in consultation with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), is voluntarily recalling all lots that have not yet expired of certain over-the-counter (OTC) Children’s and Infants’ liquid products manufactured in the United States and distributed in the United States, Canada, Dominican Republic, Dubai (UAE), Fiji, Guam, Guatemala, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Panama, Trinidad & Tobago, and Kuwait. (SEE RECALLED PRODUCT LIST BELOW).
McNeil Consumer Healthcare is initiating this voluntary recall because some of these products may not meet required quality standards. This recall is not being undertaken on the basis of adverse medical events. However, as a precautionary measure, parents and caregivers should not administer these products to their children. Some of the products included in the recall may contain a higher concentration of active ingredient than is specified; others may contain inactive ingredients that may not meet internal testing requirements; and others may contain tiny particles. While the potential for serious medical events is remote, the company advises consumers who have purchased these recalled products to discontinue use.
The company is conducting a comprehensive quality assessment across its manufacturing operations and has identified corrective actions that will be implemented before new manufacturing is initiated at the plant where the recalled products were made.
Consumers can contact the company at 1-888-222-6036 and also at www.mcneilproductrecall.com1. Parents and caregivers who are not sure about alternative pediatric health treatment options should talk to their doctor or pharmacist and are reminded to never give drug products to infants and children that are not intended for those age groups as this could result in serious harm
For additional information, including affected NDC numbers, consumers should visit our website www.mcneilproductrecall.com or call 1-888-222-6036 (Monday-Friday 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Eastern Time, and Saturday-Sunday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern Time). Any adverse reactions may also be reported to the FDA’s MedWatch Program by fax at 1-800-FDA-0178, by mail at MedWatch, FDA, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD 20852-9787, or on the MedWatch website at www.fda.gov/medwatch2.|
McNeil Consumer Healthcare, Division of McNeil-PPC, Inc. markets a broad range of well-known OTC products.
PRODUCTS NDC Number
TYLENOL® INFANTS’ DROPS:
CONCENTRATED TYLENOL® INFANTS’ DROPS 1 OZ. GRAPE FLAVOR 50580-144-01
CONCENTRATED TYLENOL® INFANTS’ DROPS 0.5 OZ. GRAPE FLAVOR* 50580-144-15
CONCENTRATED TYLENOL® INFANTS’ DROPS 1 OZ. CHERRY DYE FREE 50580-167-01
CONCENTRATED TYLENOL® INFANTS’ DROPS 0.5 OZ. CHERRY FLAVOR 50580-143-15
CONCENTRATED TYLENOL® INFANTS’ DROPS 1 OZ. CHERRY FLAVOR 50580-143-30
CONCENTRATED TYLENOL® INFANTS’ DROPS 0.5 OZ. GRAPE - HOSPITAL 50580-144-18
CONCENTRATED TYLENOL® INFANTS’ DROPS 0.25 OZ. GRAPE - SAMPLE 50580-144-40
CHILDREN’S TYLENOL® SUSPENSIONS:
CHILDREN’S TYLENOL® SUSPENSION 2 OZ. CHERRY BLAST FLAVOR 50580-123-02
CHILDREN’S TYLENOL® SUSPENSION 4 OZ. CHERRY BLAST FLAVOR 50580-123-04
CHILDREN’S TYLENOL® DYE-FREE SUSPENSION 4 OZ. CHERRY FLAVOR 50580-166-04
CHILDREN’S TYLENOL® SUSPENSION 4 OZ. GRAPE SPLASH 50580-296-04
CHILDREN’S TYLENOL® SUSPENSION 4 OZ. BUBBLEGUM FLAVOR 50580-407-04
CHILDREN’S TYLENOL® SUSPENSION 4 OZ. VERY BERRY STRAWBERRY FLAVOR 50580-493-04
CHILDREN’S TYLENOL® SUSPENSION 1 OZ. CHERRY BLAST FLAVOR – SAMPLE 50580-123-01
CHILDREN’S TYLENOL® SUSPENSION 4 OZ. CHERRY BLAST FLAVOR – HOSPITAL 50580-123-03
CHILDREN’S TYLENOL® PLUS SUSPENSIONS:
CHILDREN’S TYLENOL® PLUS SUSPENSION 4 OZ. COUGH & SORE THROAT CHERRY FLAVOR 50580-247-04
CHILDREN’S TYLENOL® PLUS SUSPENSION 4 OZ. COUGH & RUNNY NOSE CHERRY FLAVOR 50580-249-04
CHILDREN’S TYLENOL® PLUS DYE-FREE SUSPENSION 4 OZ. COLD & STUFFY NOSE GRAPE FLAVOR 50580-253-04
CHILDREN’S TYLENOL® PLUS DYE-FREE SUSPENSION 4 OZ. COLD & COUGH GRAPE FLAVOR 50580-254-04
CHILDREN’S TYLENOL® PLUS DYE-FREE SUSPENSION 4 OZ. MULTI-SYMPTOM COLD GRAPE FLAVOR 50580-255-04
CHILDREN’S TYLENOL® PLUS SUSPENSION 4 OZ. FLU BUBBLEGUM FLAVOR 50580-386-04
CHILDREN’S TYLENOL® PLUS SUSPENSION 4 OZ. COLD GRAPE FLAVOR 50580-387-04
CHILDREN’S TYLENOL® PLUS SUSPENSION 4 OZ. COLD & ALLERGY BUBBLEGUM FLAVOR 50580-390-04
CHILDREN’S TYLENOL® PLUS SUSPENSION 4 OZ. MULTI-SYMPTOM COLD GRAPE FLAVOR 50580-391-04
MOTRIN® INFANTS’ DROPS:
CONCENTRATED MOTRIN® INFANTS’ DROPS 1 OZ. BERRY DYE FREE 50580-198-01
CONCENTRATED MOTRIN® INFANTS’ DROPS 0.5 OZ. BERRY DYE FREE 50580-198-15
CONCENTRATED MOTRIN® INFANTS’ DROPS 0.5 OZ. BERRY FLAVOR* 50580-100-15
CHILDREN’S MOTRIN® SUSPENSIONS:
CHILDREN’S MOTRIN® SUSPENSION 4 OZ. BERRY DYE FREE 50580-184-04
CHILDREN’S MOTRIN® SUSPENSION 2 OZ. BERRY FLAVOR 50580-601-02
CHILDREN’S MOTRIN® SUSPENSION 4 OZ. BERRY FLAVOR 50580-601-04
CHILDREN’S MOTRIN® SUSPENSION 4 OZ. TROPICAL PUNCH FLAVOR 50580-215-04
CHILDREN’S MOTRIN® SUSPENSION 4 OZ. GRAPE FLAVOR 50580-603-04
CHILDREN’S MOTRIN® SUSPENSION 4 OZ. BUBBLEGUM FLAVOR 50580-604-04
CHILDREN’S MOTRIN® SUSPENSION 1 OZ. GRAPE SAMPLE 50580-603-01
CHILDREN’S MOTRIN® SUSPENSION 1 OZ. BUBBLEGUM SAMPLE 50580-604-01
CHILDREN’S MOTRIN® SUSPENSION 1 OZ. BERRY SAMPLE 50580-601-01
CHILDREN’S MOTRIN® SUSPENSION 4 OZ. BERRY HOSPITAL 50580-601-50
CHILDREN’S MOTRIN® SUSPENSION 4 OZ. COLD BERRY FLAVOR 50580-902-04
CHILDREN’S ZYRTEC® LIQUIDS IN BOTTLES:
CHILDREN’S ZYRTEC® 4 OZ. BUBBLEGUM SYRUP 50580-721-04
CHILDREN’S ZYRTEC® DYE FREE 4 OZ. GRAPE SYRUP 50580-730-04
CHILDREN’S ZYRTEC® SUGAR-FREE DYE-FREE 0.5 OZ. GRAPE 50580-730-15
CHILDREN’S ZYRTEC® SUGAR-FREE DYE-FREE 0.5 OZ. BUBBLEGUM 50580-721-15
CHILDREN’S ZYRTEC® SUGAR-FREE DYE-FREE 2 X 4 OZ. BUBBLEGUM LIQUID 50580-721-08
CHILDREN'S BENADRYL® ALLERGY LIQUIDS IN BOTTLES:
CHILDREN'S BENADRYL® ALLERGY 4 OZ. BUBBLEGUM FLAVORED LIQUID 50580-535-04
* CONCENTRATED TYLENOL® INFANTS’ DROPS 0.5 OZ. GRAPE FLAVOR is also included in JOHNSON'S ® Baby Relief Kit.
*CONCENTRATED MOTRIN® INFANTS’ DROPS 0.5 OZ. BERRY FLAVOR is also included in JOHNSON'S ® Baby Relief Kit
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Team Cyclone
Here is a video of Team Cyclone (Brody plus 2 others from his karate school) performing at the Capitol City Open Karate Tournament held in DeForest earlier this month. Unfortunately they were disqualified when one of the team members dropped his weapon at the very end of the routine...but they looked awesome!
Thursday, April 22, 2010
The Egg Challenge!
A couple of days ago Brody underwent some allergy testing with hopes of an egg challenge! His egg RAST numbers have been dropping by about half for the past several years. He started somewhere in the 60s I believe, but as of last RAST (June 2009) he was at 8.24. I didn't really expect him to pass raw egg quite yet,however, a recent study has shown that 70% of people with egg allergy can safely eat "baked-in" egg (350 degrees for at least 30 minutes) as this will break down the egg protein enough so that the body doesn't recognize it the same way.
So we started with the skin prick test (SPT) to raw egg. Actually, Dr. G also had us bring in some boiled milk to do a skin test with that too because some kids can apparently tolerate fully heated milk or baked-in milk just like the baked-in egg. They did the boiled milk and raw egg SPT at the same time and his skin bubbled immediately from the milk. In fact the nurse made the comment "whoa, and we still have 14 minutes on the timer before we measure it!" Then the raw egg wheal soon caught up to it. In fact at this point Dr. G wasn't even sure if he wanted to go ahead with the baked-in egg challenge. Brody was obviously feeling very defeated. You could just tell by his body language. One minute he had been so excited to get on with the test, and then after seeing how his skin reacted he was extremely sad looking. The doctor finally decided to take a small piece of the bread I had made and mix with water to make a "slurry" that they could use to do a SPT with to see how his skin would react to that. Luckily it only created a very small bump on his arm, so it was decided to go ahead with the challenge. He was a bit hesitant to take that first bite, but he loved the cinnamon bread I had made so it made the rest of the challenge go that much more smoothly. Good thing I didn't take the hockey puck blueberry muffins I had initially made! :) After 4 hours, Dr. G finally declared that Brody officially passed the "baked-in" egg challenge!!
I'm so happy and relieved the challenge is over! It definitely feels weird to feed him things with egg in them but also know that he will still have a severe reaction to egg that isn't baked long enough! I have quite a list of things I want to make now (brownies, angel food cake, lemon bars, etc...still dairy-free, but full of egg!), but I have to keep reminding myself that we need to start out slow and keep an eye out for any subtle reactions his body might show.
Dr. G also told us that because Brody had such a strong skin reaction to the boiled milk, that he is most likely one of those individuals who will never lose his milk allergy. I've always assumed this, but it's sad to actually hear it from the doctor. :( But on the bright side, after waiting 10 years, it sure is nice to at least have a little bit of good news regarding the food allergies!
This is a picture I took during the SPT. This is actually after the welts had started to diminish a little bit. In fact, the morning after the test he still had a small hive where the milk SPT had been placed!
*********************************************************
So we started with the skin prick test (SPT) to raw egg. Actually, Dr. G also had us bring in some boiled milk to do a skin test with that too because some kids can apparently tolerate fully heated milk or baked-in milk just like the baked-in egg. They did the boiled milk and raw egg SPT at the same time and his skin bubbled immediately from the milk. In fact the nurse made the comment "whoa, and we still have 14 minutes on the timer before we measure it!" Then the raw egg wheal soon caught up to it. In fact at this point Dr. G wasn't even sure if he wanted to go ahead with the baked-in egg challenge. Brody was obviously feeling very defeated. You could just tell by his body language. One minute he had been so excited to get on with the test, and then after seeing how his skin reacted he was extremely sad looking. The doctor finally decided to take a small piece of the bread I had made and mix with water to make a "slurry" that they could use to do a SPT with to see how his skin would react to that. Luckily it only created a very small bump on his arm, so it was decided to go ahead with the challenge. He was a bit hesitant to take that first bite, but he loved the cinnamon bread I had made so it made the rest of the challenge go that much more smoothly. Good thing I didn't take the hockey puck blueberry muffins I had initially made! :) After 4 hours, Dr. G finally declared that Brody officially passed the "baked-in" egg challenge!!
I'm so happy and relieved the challenge is over! It definitely feels weird to feed him things with egg in them but also know that he will still have a severe reaction to egg that isn't baked long enough! I have quite a list of things I want to make now (brownies, angel food cake, lemon bars, etc...still dairy-free, but full of egg!), but I have to keep reminding myself that we need to start out slow and keep an eye out for any subtle reactions his body might show.
Dr. G also told us that because Brody had such a strong skin reaction to the boiled milk, that he is most likely one of those individuals who will never lose his milk allergy. I've always assumed this, but it's sad to actually hear it from the doctor. :( But on the bright side, after waiting 10 years, it sure is nice to at least have a little bit of good news regarding the food allergies!
This is a picture I took during the SPT. This is actually after the welts had started to diminish a little bit. In fact, the morning after the test he still had a small hive where the milk SPT had been placed!
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Monday, April 12, 2010
Allergic Living's 5th Anniversary Contest
Test your allergy knowledge by taking the Allergic Living Quiz. You could win one of 4 copies of Cybele Pascal's The Allergen-Free Baker's Handbook!
**Contest closes Friday, May 7, 2010**
http://www.allergicliving.com/contest/
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**Contest closes Friday, May 7, 2010**
http://www.allergicliving.com/contest/
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Friday, March 12, 2010
Hippity, Hoppity, Easter's on its way!
If the Easter Bunny is looking for ideas about what treats would be safe to bring your food allergic child this Easter, tell him (or her) to hop on over to the Premium Chocolatiers website! This company specializes in milk-free, egg-free, nut-free, and gluten-free gourmet chocolates. These delicious goodies are hand crafted using a signature blend of roasted cocoa beans along with the finest ingredients!
http://www.premiumchocolatiers.com/easter-fun-c-21.html
Happy Easter to all!
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http://www.premiumchocolatiers.com/easter-fun-c-21.html
Happy Easter to all!
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Friday, February 12, 2010
Valentine's Day Treats
Valentine’s Day is just a few days away, and what better way to let your friends and family know how much you love them than to make allergy-friendly Valentine treats! Whether you make heart shaped pancakes for breakfast or just frost sugar cookies with pink icing, your little ones will be excited and feel extra special! But if you’re looking for some new ideas, maybe you’d like to give one of these recipes a try…
Lemony Love Potion
12-ounce can of pink lemonade concentrate
1 cup raspberry sorbet (I use Whole Fruit brand, available at Woodman’s)
12 ounces lemon/lime soda
In a pitcher, prepare the lemonade concentrate with recommended amount of water. In a separate pitcher, combine the sorbet, soda, and 1 cup of the lemonade. Stir, serve, and enjoy!
Easy Oreo Truffles
1 (16 ounce) package Oreo cookies
1 (8 ounce) container Tofutti soy cream cheese
1 package Enjoy Life chocolate chips
Crush cookies in a food processor or resealable plastic bag using a rolling pin. Place in a medium bowl. Add soy cream cheese and mix until well blended. Roll cookie mixture into balls, about 1 inch in diameter. Place balls in refrigerator or freezer for about an hour. Melt the chocolate chips in a double boiler. Dip the balls in the chocolate and place on a wax paper covered baking sheet. Decorate with sprinkles or colored sugar if desired. Refrigerate until firm. Store leftover truffles, covered, in refrigerator.
Variation: Use Golden Oreos in place of the chocolate Oreos and add a couple drops of red food coloring to the cookie/soy cream cheese mixture to give the truffles a nice pink color for Valentine’s Day when biting into them!
And of course you can never go wrong with…
Chocolate Covered Strawberries
1 package Enjoy Life chocolate chips
2 Tbsp shortening (optional)
1 pound fresh strawberries with leaves
In a double boiler, melt the chocolate chips and shortening, stirring occasionally until smooth. Carefully dip the strawberries into the chocolate mixture and place on wax paper to cool. Refrigerate until the chocolate is set.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Walt Disney World Rocks!
We just returned from our week long trip to Orlando, Florida a few days ago. The entire trip was wonderful and I wish we could go back to stay! I’ve always heard that Walt Disney World is the place to go with a food allergic child. And after experiencing it ourselves…I couldn’t agree more! Several months before our trip I had contacted Special Dietary Guest Services at SpecialDiets@DisneyWorld.com to request information about how food allergies are handled in the parks. I quickly received a wealth of information in the form of several documents including a Guest Dietary Letter, a Guest Allergy Dietary Request Form, a Food Allergy Dietary Reference Sheet, and Allergy Menus for Epcot. Along with this, the contact person (Lee Brady) also gave me a list of quick service locations that would be able to accommodate our special dietary requests. He also gave me a “heads up” about a potential concern in Animal Kingdom. Apparently the animal keepers roam the park throughout the day and at any given time could have nuts in their pocket to use for demonstration and educational purposes while handling birds and that birds are located in just about every area of that park. In his words…”Be mindful that these keepers would have nut oil on their hands and remnants in their clothing”. Very good to know! Luckily this wasn’t an issue for us though since we weren’t planning on going to Animal Kingdom anyway. We decided it would be a lot like going to a huge zoo, and since the boys have a hard time seeing the animals at zoos because of their vision impairment, it didn’t seem like something we wanted to pay a large chunk of money to do. So instead we spent 1 day at Hollywood Studios, 2 days at Magic Kingdom, and 1 day at Epcot.
Although we only ate at 3 restaurants (2 quick service and 1 table service) during our visit (we brought in our own sandwiches and snacks to help keep the cost down), below I will list some of the very helpful information Lee Brady sent to me…
Prepackaged Snacks
Divvies Chocolate Chip Cookies, Caramel Popcorn, and Jelly Beans are made without milk, eggs, peanuts and tree nuts and can be found in the following locations:
Magic Kingdom – Main Street Bakery
Epcot – Liberty Inn & Electric Umbrella
Animal Kingdom – Kusafari Bakery & Tusker House Restaurant
Hollywood Studios – Starring Rolls Bakery
Quick Service Restaurants
Ask to speak to a manager upon arrival and they will be happy to go over an ingredient list with you. The following locations have menu items or products that may meet most dietary requests:
Magic Kingdom
Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Café (located in Tomorrowland)
Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn and Café (located in Fronteirland)
Main Street Bakery
Toontown Farmer’s Market and Liberty Square Market
Pinocchio’s Village House (Fantasy Land)
Epcot
Liberty Inn (located at The American Adventure in World Showcase)
Sunshine Seasons (located in the Land Pavilion)
Electric Umbrella
Animal Kingdom
Restaurantosaurus (located in DinoLand USA)
Flame Tree Barbecue (located between Asia and DinoLand USA)
Harambe Fruit Market
Hollywood Studios
Rosie’s All American Café at Sunset Ranch Market
Backlot Express
Studio Catering Company
ABC Commissary
Toy Story Pizza Planet
Additional Information
The following is a list of specific products and where they are located:
Many of the above mentioned quick service locations offer:
Allergy Free Chicken Tenderloins (top 8 free)
Fresh Fruit Cups
Hamburger on Tapioca Roll (Ener-G)
Hot Dog on Tapioca Roll (Ener-G)
I found Frozen Coca-Cola and Silk Soy Milk at The Launching Pad in Magic Kingdom.
Also available at several locations within the parks are Gluten-Free Brownie (contains egg), Rice Milk, Tofutti Frozen Dessert, Rice Dream Frozen Dessert.
Table Service
It is best to make reservations for a table service restaurant several months in advance so they can be fully prepared for your visit. However, even though I had made reservations for Chef Mickey’s at The Contemporary Resort, when we arrived to check in I was told that there were no reservations under our name. I have no idea how this happened, but the hostess reassured us that there would be absolutely no problem with the chef accommodating Brody’s allergies. In fact when Chef Matt came to our table, he told us that he handles 40-50 food allergy families every single day! Chef Matt walked Brody and I through the buffet and explained what was in every single item and what would be safe for Brody’s allergy set. Once Brody decided what he wanted to eat, the chef went back into the kitchen and made up Brody’s plate himself so there would be no chance of cross contamination. Brody enjoyed chicken strips, ribs, rice and steamed broccoli. And for dessert Chef Matt brought out a large bowl of Tofutti “ice cream” and a safe cupcake loaded with sprinkles! Brody was thrilled with his first experience eating at a table service restaurant and I honestly think this might have been the highlight of our entire trip for him!
Although we only ate at 3 restaurants (2 quick service and 1 table service) during our visit (we brought in our own sandwiches and snacks to help keep the cost down), below I will list some of the very helpful information Lee Brady sent to me…
Prepackaged Snacks
Divvies Chocolate Chip Cookies, Caramel Popcorn, and Jelly Beans are made without milk, eggs, peanuts and tree nuts and can be found in the following locations:
Magic Kingdom – Main Street Bakery
Epcot – Liberty Inn & Electric Umbrella
Animal Kingdom – Kusafari Bakery & Tusker House Restaurant
Hollywood Studios – Starring Rolls Bakery
Quick Service Restaurants
Ask to speak to a manager upon arrival and they will be happy to go over an ingredient list with you. The following locations have menu items or products that may meet most dietary requests:
Magic Kingdom
Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Café (located in Tomorrowland)
Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn and Café (located in Fronteirland)
Main Street Bakery
Toontown Farmer’s Market and Liberty Square Market
Pinocchio’s Village House (Fantasy Land)
Epcot
Liberty Inn (located at The American Adventure in World Showcase)
Sunshine Seasons (located in the Land Pavilion)
Electric Umbrella
Animal Kingdom
Restaurantosaurus (located in DinoLand USA)
Flame Tree Barbecue (located between Asia and DinoLand USA)
Harambe Fruit Market
Hollywood Studios
Rosie’s All American Café at Sunset Ranch Market
Backlot Express
Studio Catering Company
ABC Commissary
Toy Story Pizza Planet
Additional Information
The following is a list of specific products and where they are located:
Many of the above mentioned quick service locations offer:
Allergy Free Chicken Tenderloins (top 8 free)
Fresh Fruit Cups
Hamburger on Tapioca Roll (Ener-G)
Hot Dog on Tapioca Roll (Ener-G)
I found Frozen Coca-Cola and Silk Soy Milk at The Launching Pad in Magic Kingdom.
Also available at several locations within the parks are Gluten-Free Brownie (contains egg), Rice Milk, Tofutti Frozen Dessert, Rice Dream Frozen Dessert.
Table Service
It is best to make reservations for a table service restaurant several months in advance so they can be fully prepared for your visit. However, even though I had made reservations for Chef Mickey’s at The Contemporary Resort, when we arrived to check in I was told that there were no reservations under our name. I have no idea how this happened, but the hostess reassured us that there would be absolutely no problem with the chef accommodating Brody’s allergies. In fact when Chef Matt came to our table, he told us that he handles 40-50 food allergy families every single day! Chef Matt walked Brody and I through the buffet and explained what was in every single item and what would be safe for Brody’s allergy set. Once Brody decided what he wanted to eat, the chef went back into the kitchen and made up Brody’s plate himself so there would be no chance of cross contamination. Brody enjoyed chicken strips, ribs, rice and steamed broccoli. And for dessert Chef Matt brought out a large bowl of Tofutti “ice cream” and a safe cupcake loaded with sprinkles! Brody was thrilled with his first experience eating at a table service restaurant and I honestly think this might have been the highlight of our entire trip for him!
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Thursday, January 21, 2010
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
A little bit of hope!
At Brody's last check-up with the allergist, we discussed the possibility of Brody being able to tolerate baked-in egg given the fact that his RAST numbers for egg have been consistently dropping over the past few years. Studies have shown that many egg allergic individuals are able to consume foods containing extensively heated egg. The reason for this is that the higher temperatures used for these baked goods destroy the egg proteins enough that the allergic antibodies are not able to recognize them.
So we are very excited to announce that in April of this year Brody will be undergoing an in-office food challenge for baked-in egg. And if he passes that test with flying colors, he may also test for raw egg! I have a very good feeling that the baked-in egg challenge will go very smoothly with no reactions. The thought of once again being able to bake cakes, muffins, and cookies with eggs as an ingredient actually makes me giddy! Please send us good vibes for the April challenge!!!
So we are very excited to announce that in April of this year Brody will be undergoing an in-office food challenge for baked-in egg. And if he passes that test with flying colors, he may also test for raw egg! I have a very good feeling that the baked-in egg challenge will go very smoothly with no reactions. The thought of once again being able to bake cakes, muffins, and cookies with eggs as an ingredient actually makes me giddy! Please send us good vibes for the April challenge!!!
New Auto-Injector Now Available
Sciele Pharma, Inc., has introduced a new auto-injector for emergency treatment of anaphylaxis. Adrenaclick is a single-dose epinephrine auto-injector and will be available as a single unit or a convenient two-pack. It is available in two dosing options (0.15 mg and 0.3 mg).
Check out the website to see a picture of the new Adrenaclick and to learn more about it!
http://www.adrenaclick.com/
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Check out the website to see a picture of the new Adrenaclick and to learn more about it!
http://www.adrenaclick.com/
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