01_095843 ffirs.qxp 2/22/07 2:48 PM Page i Food Allergies FOR DUMmIES ‰ 01_095843 ffirs.qxp 2/22/07 2:48 PM Page ii 01_095843 ffirs.qxp 2/22/07 2:48 PM Page iii Food Allergies FOR DUMmIES ‰ by Robert A.Wood,MD,with Joe Kraynak 01_095843 ffirs.qxp 2/22/07 2:48 PM Page iv Food Allergies For Dummies® Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc. 111 River St. Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774 www.wiley.com Copyright © 2007 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana Published simultaneously in Canada No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permit- ted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, 978-750-8400, fax 978-646-8600. 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Library of Congress Control Number: 2007920012 ISBN: 978-0-470-09584-3 Manufactured in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 01_095843 ffirs.qxp 2/22/07 2:48 PM Page v About the Authors Robert A. Wood, MD,is Professor of Pediatrics and International Health and Chief of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland. After receiving his medical degree from the University of Rochester School of Medicine, he completed his resi- dency in pediatrics at the Johns Hopkins University, where he also completed an allergy and immunology fellowship. Dr. Wood is an internationally recog- nized expert in food allergy and childhood asthma and has published over 100 manuscripts in scientific journals, including the New England Journal of Medicine, JAMA, Pediatrics, and the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, as well as two books and numerous book chapters. He is Deputy Editor of the journal Pediatric Allergy and Immunology, was Associate Editor of the Annals of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology, and has served on the edi- torial board of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. He is on the Board of Directors of the American Board of Allergy and Immunology. He personally cares for over 4,000 patients with food allergy and has a special interest in this topic as someone with a severe, lifelong peanut allergy. Joe Kraynak is a freelance author who has written and co-authored dozens of books on topics ranging from slam poetry to computer basics. Joe teamed up with Dr. Candida Fink to write his first book in the For Dummiesseries, Bipolar Disorder For Dummies,where he showcased his talent for translating the par- lance of psychiatry into plain-spoken practical advice. He then tackled Flipping Houses For Dummieswith legendary real estate pro Ralph Roberts to produce the ultimate guide for real estate rehabbers. In Food Allergies For Dummies,Joe returns to the doctor’s office with world-renowned allergist, Robert Wood, MD, to pen the definitive guide to living well with food allergies. 01_095843 ffirs.qxp 2/22/07 2:48 PM Page vi 01_095843 ffirs.qxp 2/22/07 2:48 PM Page vii Dedication From Robert Wood: To my wife, Renee Melly Wood, DVM, for her unbeliev- able patience and support, to my parents, Dr. Bob and Carol Wood, for their consistent support and lifelong example of hard work, integrity, and compas- sion to all, and to my brother David, for all he taught me about life before his tragic death. From Joe: In memory of my brother Mitch, a brilliant physician and an out- standing human being who passed away well before his time. Authors’ Acknowledgments Although we wrote the book, dozens of other talented individuals con- tributed to its conception, development, and perfection. Special thanks go to acquisitions editor Lindsay Lefevere, who chose us as the authors and guided us through the tough part of getting started. Jennifer Connolly, our project editor, deserves a round of applause for acting as a very patient collaborator and choreographer — shuffling chapters back and forth, shepherding the text and photos through production, and asking a whole lot of questions to ensure that you would have all yourquestions answered. We also tip our hats to the production crew for doing such an outstanding job of transforming a loose collection of text and illustrations into such an attractive bound book. We owe special thanks to the folks at FAAN (Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network), especially FAAN founder Anne Munoz-Furlong, for gathering the recipes for the delectable dishes served up in the appendix and for writing the foreword for our book. We owe a huge debt of gratitude to a few people who have played a special role in moving the field of food allergy forward. From a scientific standpoint, Drs. Hugh Sampson and Scott Sicherer at Mt. Sinai School of Medicine and Dr. Wesley Burks at Duke University School of Medicine led the way in moving the study of food allergy to the 21st century. From a personal standpoint, we would once again like to acknowledge Anne Munoz-Furlong for what she and FAAN have done to provide the leadership and resources that we all rely on to educate everyone — from patients to schools to doctors — about what it means to live with food allergy. We owe special thanks to our technical editor, accomplished allergist John M. James, MD, for ferreting out technical errors in the manuscript, helping guide its content, and offering his own advice, guidance, and tips. 01_095843 ffirs.qxp 2/22/07 2:48 PM Page viii Publisher’s Acknowledgments We’re proud of this book; please send us your comments through our Dummies online registration form located at www.dummies.com/register/. Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following: Acquisitions, Editorial, and Media Composition Services Development Project Coordinator:Lynsey Osborn Project Editor: Jennifer Connolly Layout and Graphics:Claudia Bell, Carl Byers, Acquisitions Editor:Lindsay Lefevere Joyce Haughey, Shane Johnson, Stephanie D. Jumper, Alicia B. South, Copy Editor: Jennifer Connolly Julie Trippetti Technical Editor:John M. James, MD Proofreaders:Jessica Kramer, Susan Moritz, Editorial Manager: Michelle Hacker Sossity R. Smith Editorial Supervisor: Carmen Krikorian Indexer:Aptara Editorial Assistants: Erin Calligan, Joe Niesen, Wiley Bicentennial Logo:Richard J. Pacifico LeeAnn Harney, David Lutton Cover Photo: © Cole Group/Getty Images Cartoons: Rich Tennant (www.the5thwave.com) Publishing and Editorial for Consumer Dummies Diane Graves Steele, Vice President and Publisher, Consumer Dummies Joyce Pepple, Acquisitions Director, Consumer Dummies Kristin A. Cocks, Product Development Director, Consumer Dummies Michael Spring, Vice President and Publisher, Travel Kelly Regan,Editorial Director, Travel Publishing for Technology Dummies Andy Cummings,Vice President and Publisher, Dummies Technology/General User Composition Services Gerry Fahey,Vice President of Production Services Debbie Stailey,Director of Composition Services 02_095843 ftoc.qxp 2/22/07 2:49 PM Page ix Contents at a Glance Foreword....................................................................xxi Introduction.................................................................1 Part I: Feasting on Food Allergy Fundamentals...............9 Chapter 1: Breaking Out with Food Allergies ...............................................................11 Chapter 2: Turning Allergies Inside Out: Probable Causes and Common Symptoms...............................................................................................27 Chapter 3: Spotting the Usual Suspects: Wherefore Art Thou, Allergen?.................51 Chapter 4: Picking On Peanuts: A Potentially Deadly Foe...........................................67 Part II: Progressing from Hives to Hope: Diagnosis and Treatment.............................................83 Chapter 5: Labeling Your Ailments with an Accurate Diagnosis................................85 Chapter 6: Concocting Your Own Avoidance Diet......................................................113 Chapter 7: Making It Stop: Finding Symptomatic Relief............................................127 Chapter 8: Debunking Alternative Tests and Therapies............................................141 Chapter 9: Exploring Cures from Mice to Man: Current Research...........................153 Part III: Living Well with Your Food Allergies.............167 Chapter 10: Living at Home with Your Allergies.........................................................169 Chapter 11: Eating Out and Traveling with Food Allergies.......................................183 Chapter 12: Conquering the Challenges of Daycare and Preschool........................201 Chapter 13: Sending Food Allergies Off to School: K-12............................................219 Chapter 14: Empowering Your Adolescent or Teenager ..........................................241 Chapter 15: Preventing and Outgrowing a Food Allergy ..........................................253 Part IV: The Part of Tens...........................................269 Chapter 16: Teaching Your Child Ten Key Food Allergy Lessons.............................271 Chapter 17: Packing Ten Key Food Allergy Tips for Camp, College, and Other Outings ........................................................................................279 Chapter 18: Substituting Foods and Ingredients: Ten Common Dietary Substitutions .................................................................................................287 Chapter 19: Exploring Ten Outstanding Food Allergy Web Sites ...........................295 Chapter 20: Responding to a Severe Reaction: Ten Do’s and Don’ts.......................301