New Hope for Children (and families) Living with Peanut Allergies!

I've been happily reading the recent news about the new treatment for children with peanut allergies. This is tremendously good news for all of us, no matter if you have a child with a severe nut allergy (as I do) or not.

A handful of children with peanut allergies have been "cured" researchers believe, of their allergies. How? With "immunotherapy", which is giving a tiny does of the allergen to the child in order to build up their immune system's response to it(under strict supervision, don't try this at home!).

According to this article in Newsday, "Nine children who'd taken daily therapy for 2½ years were given a series of peanut challenges. Four in the initial study — and a fifth who finished testing last week — could stop treatment and avoid peanuts for an entire month and still have no reaction the next time they ate 15 whole peanuts. Immune-system changes suggest they're truly allergy-free, Burks said.

Scientists call that tolerance — meaning their immune systems didn't forget and go bad again — and it's a first for food allergy treatment, said Dr. Marshall Plaut of the National Institutes of Health."

And the best news is that this treatment will be available in the next few years! What a dream if I won't have to worry everyday about where my daughter's Epi pen is, and if it is out of date (or frozen in the car). I won't have to ask everyone at every party about all the food. Or worry about how many children at her pre-school had peanut butter for breakfast, and still have it on their lips. The list of things to worry about with a severely allergic child goes on and on. For parents of children who have no nut allergies, this could mean less worry about planning sleepovers, parties, school lunches and snacks. I know my friends would breathe a lot easier knowing that my daughter's allergies were under control and not potentially life threatening. They are not as used to it on a daily basis as I am and they worry about keeping her safe when we visit.

So, I'll stay closely tuned to this issue. I'm looking forward to asking our allergist about it too. I love good news, don't you?