Science, Engineering and Medicine Report

11/1/2016:  Auvi-Q Injector Coming Back

The small, convenient, rectangular shaped epinephrine injector called Auvi-Q are planned to be back in the market in the first half of 2017.  It was recalled in 2015 and originally invented by twin brothers with allergies--one is a doctor and the other an engineer. The device also has voice instructions to guide the administrator through the injection process. [1]

11/30/2016:  National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine Report

A meeting took place and report released on November 30th by the above academy to review the work that was done over the past 18-months by the food allergy research committee as funded by the U.S. government.  Food allergy prevalence, diagnosis, prevention and approaches to manage allergies were studied for IgE based food allergies. It is expected that, "significant" recommendations will be provided over the next few years. For example, it may be recommended that an infant-based auto injector be created for  a very low dose administration. Also, food allergy labels may be revamped based upon the VITAL system currently used in Australia and New Zealand.  Further, more standard regulations may be imposed on food companies and where foods are served publicly like on airplanes or in schools.  A 1-hour recording can be heard.  Follow on Twitter at #NASEMFOODALLERGIES. The full report can be downloaded. [2]

[1] http://foodallergycanada.ca/wp-content/uploads/AQ-Comeback-Announcement-FINAL.pdf

[2] http://nationalacademies.org/hmd/Activities/Nutrition/FoodAllergies/2016-NOV-30.aspx 

Dairy Allergy, Probiotics & Peanut Patch

10/7/2016:  Infants Dairy Allergy and Probiotics

Probiotics and prebiotics are important for digestion and are natively part of breastmilk.  But forumla-fed infants may need more to help not only with including distress (crying), eczema, diarrhea, abdominal pain, colic, vomiting but also the health of the gut and overall immune system. [1]

10/26/2016:  Peanut Patch Improves 36% Over Placebo Group

A study using Viaskin Peanut patch on the skin appears to improve tolerance to peanuts especially for ages 4-11 by 36%.  It was found the placebo group had a 12% improvement, but the patched group had a 46 to 48% improvement and was able to tolerate 10 times more peanut after one year. [2]

[1]  http://www.nutriciaresearch.com/new-data-important-for-infants-suffering-from-severe-cows-milk-protein-allergy/

[2]  https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/10/161026105052.htm

Vaccinations Trigger Allergens

9/17/2016:  Vaccinations Trigger Allergens

The CDC now agrees with 1913, Nobel Prize-winning French physiologist Charles Richet who discovered that any proteins which are injected into the bloodstream will result in the development of an allergy to that protein.  Apparently our vaccines contain proteins such as casein, eggs and yeast, which cause food allergies.[1]

9/25/2016:  Dairy Allergy Probiotics

A study with about 220 children showed that when they had the probiotics called 'Clostridia' and 'Frimicutes' in their digestive tract they were more likely to outgrow the dairy allergy over several years. [Oddly additional research indicates these strains are highly toxic so physican oversight should be had.]  A similar study indicated that antibiotics under the age of 1 can increase the chance of having food allergies.[2]

[1] http://yournewswire.com/cdc-research-concludes-vaccines-cause-food-allergies/

[2] http://allergenbureau.net/roles-antibiotics-probiotics-development-resolution-food-allergy/

Peanut Desensitization & Oral Desensitization

8/10/2016:  Peanut Desensitization for 1 to 3 year olds

According to a small study involving 40 children recently completed by the National Institute of Health, after giving the 1 to 3 year-olds very small doses of doctor supervised amounts of peanut powder, for two years, 80% of them could tolerate some foods containing small amounts of peanuts. [1]

8/10/2016:  New Company Creating Desensitization Doses

AIMMUNE is a new company in San Francisco, California implementing a Characterized Oral Desensitization ImmunoTherapy a.k.a. CODIT program to create precisely control amounts (in capsule form) of allergens to achieve a level of desensitization (but will require on-going doses). They are starting with peanuts and moving onto eggs in 2017.[2] 

[1] https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/08/160810104017.htm

[2] http://ir.aimmune.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=254097&p=irol-pressReleasesArticle&ID=2194768 

Preservatives & Siblings Relation to Food Allergies

7/11/2016:  A Preservative Could Be Triggering Food Allergies 

The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences awarded 1.5 million for research on tBHQ or tert-butylhydroquinone, a preservative approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 1972.  This preservative appears to show a different impact on T cells which can trigger food allergies.  Oddly, this preservative is often not listed on food allergy labels.  [1]

7/25/2016:  Brothers and Sisters of Food Allergic Children

Apparent good news for the siblings of food allergic children has been found by Dr. Ruchi Gupta of Children's Hospital of Chicago in that a study including over 2,000 people where about one-half had allergies, found their siblings did not necessarily have food allergies at the same rate, but more along the rate of the general population. [2]

[1] http://msutoday.msu.edu/news/2016/common-additive-may-be-why-you-have-food-allergies/

[2] http://www.foodnavigator.com/Science/Food-allergies-unlikely-to-run-in-the-family-study-suggests