AllerJeez!

RSS Feed Homepage

Articles: 1, 2

More Unempathetic Parents, What Else is New?
2007-09-09 07:21:00
AllerJeez applauds another school, Rock Creek Elementary in O’Fallon, Missouri for protecting the safety of two children who are severely allergic to peanuts by banning all peanut products from their campus. Apparently, many fellow parents are not happy with the decision: “It’s a change it’s a big change,” one that mother Jennifer Kaiser and other parents weren’t exactly happy to have to make. “Personally it’s affected me because my youngest daughter, the 99 out 100 lunches I made for her last year were peanut butter and jelly sandwiches,” says the mother of two Rock Creek kids. “You are asking us to give up a personal choice and that is not a small thing to ask.” - My Fox St. Louis
More About: Parents , Parent , Pare , Path

Site Update
2007-09-09 06:59:00
AllerJeez is Back Wow, what a hiatus it’s been, huh? The truth is not that I have abandoned the site (AllerJeez is my baby! I could never do that), but that it was having some major problems that I myself was unable to fix even though I spent a good amount of time trying to figure it out. Mike at Stay at Home Dad: Geek Style found me through another one of my websites and offered to lend a helping hand (and brain). Mike is not a food allergy parent, but everybody should check out his blog for his humorous posts and adorable photos of his daughter. Every daddy should blog. Mike is also available for hire should you have any webmaster needs, and also offers free website help in exchange for a plug for his site or if you’re feeling really generous - a donation that will go towards a new computer system. He’s got an ultra cool blog contest going on right now in partnership with SitterCity called the Stay At Home Dad iMac Give-Away, where the prize is of course, a bra...
More About: Site , Update

Do You Need Asthma Information?
2007-08-21 02:28:00
As the parent of an asthmatic child, I have done countless hours of researching the condition online. I have probably grazed hundreds of medical related websites in doing so. There is plenty of information to be found, but often times the websites include a ton of medical jargon which makes it difficult for an asthma newbie to process the more important information. New Website for Basic Asthma Information AsthmaSymptom.org is a new and informative website that includes all of the basic “must know” information in one convenient and easy to remember domain. The website goes over the most basic information like Asthma Symptoms and Asthma Treatment, and also has a whole page dedicated to information on Asthma Medications where the author has summarized the most commonly used medications for asthmatics. Although the website is clearly aimed towards providing information for people who are still new to the asthmatic lifestyle, there are things of interest to those of us wh...

AllerJeez Wins an Award!
2007-08-19 07:03:00
During my absence, on August 10th I received an e-mail from Krystle from MyAllergyNetwork.com (which is definitely a site worth checking out, it was the first time I had seen it) congratulating AllerJeez.com for winning an award from The Health Central Network. You can see my shiny new award in the sidebar to the right. Other winners of the award in the allergy category include Please Don’t Pass the Nuts, Our Story, Allergy Moms, The Angry Asthma Mama, and Asthma and Allergy Source. Congrats to you all! And thank you to Krystle and The Health Central Network for the acknowledgment!
More About: Award , Wins

Site Update
2007-07-31 13:27:00
Some of you may have noticed earlier that AllerJeez.com was down for the count. I had some technical difficulties and worked throughout the day and night yesterday to fix the website. I was able to get back all posts I thought I had lost forever, thank goodness. However, the RSS feed is kaput and I hope to have that back up shortly as well, though I’m not sure if existing subscribers will need to re-subscribe or not yet. All apologies for the inconvenience. Also, the site design is off and needs to be revamped, so I will be working on that as well. Once I’ve gotten things running smoothly again, we will return to our scheduled programming. Thank you for being patient!
More About: Site , Update

Sick to Slick: Allergy Control Products You NEED if You’ve Got Indoor All
2007-07-29 14:12:00
When you’ve discovered that you or a loved one has allergies, or you’ve tolerated sub-par living long enough most people ask…well, what do I really need? Here’s my advice. Air With Flair I actually recommend EVERY home own a couple of these. At the very least, one for each regularly inhabited bedroom and one for the living room. Why? Well, ask a friend who already owns one to see the old filter next time they change it and you’ll see for yourself. I change mine every 2-3 months, and regardless of keeping a clean home there’s always a nice thick layer of dust, hair, and other fun surprises accumulated on the used filter. While they are nice to have in an average household, they’re absolutely necessary in the homes of allergy sufferers. A high quality HEPA air purifier will remove most of the bad allergen floaties (such as pollen, mold spores, dust mite feces, dander, etc) from the air, and whatever gets kicked up off the floor, furniture, and elsewhere. Recommended Prod...
More About: Products , Control , Sick

The Kind Folks at Puraderm
2007-07-28 14:15:00
As I mentioned in my article entitled “The Eczema Treatment Encyclopedia“, I requested samples of Pura derm on July 3rd.  The sample pack includes laundry detergent, hair and body shampoo and skin sealing wax. I was notified last week that my package was returned to them damaged and they promptly sent an e-mail “shipped package” confirmation the next business day to let me know a fresh sample had been sent.  Thursday I received yet another e-mail, this time to inform me that the mail was sent back yet again, this time because of an invalid address. After reviewing my transaction details, I slapped myself on the forehead when I realized that when paying for the shipping (free sample, but must pay to ship) via PayPal I had forgotten to update my mail to address, which had changed as of a year and a half ago. I’d just like to thank the nice people at Puraderm for being so friendly throughout this ordeal, and apologize for the inconvenience I’ve caused!  I hope their produ...

The Kind Folks at Puraderm
2007-07-28 08:20:00
As I mentioned in my article entitled “The Eczema Treatment Encyclopedia“, I requested samples of Pura derm on July 3rd.?? The sample pack includes laundry detergent, hair and body shampoo and skin sealing wax. I was notified last week that my package was returned to them damaged and they promptly sent an e-mail “shipped package” confirmation the next business day to let me know a fresh sample had been sent.?? Thursday I received yet another e-mail, this time to inform me that the mail was sent back yet again, this time because of an invalid address. After reviewing my transaction details, I slapped myself on the forehead when I realized that when paying for the shipping (free sample, but must pay to ship) via PayPal I had forgotten to update my mail to address, which had changed as of a year and a half ago. I’d just like to thank the nice people at Puraderm for being so friendly throughout this ordeal, and apologize for the inconvenience I’ve caus...

Allergy Free Peanuts?
2007-07-27 14:15:00
N.C. A&T State University food science researchers say they have developed a simple process for making allergen-free peanuts, which could impact millions of peanut-allergy sufferers. - A&T Researcher Develops Allergy-Free Peanut Can you imagine? There may come a day when my daughter can safely enjoy a PB&J sandwich along with her friends. I wonder if this processing becomes successful if they will implement it for most, if not all peanut products?
More About: Peanuts

Small Link Roundup
2007-07-26 14:17:00
  Gina at AllergyMoms.com wrote an interesting post about how you can ask presidential candidates how they feel about food allergy. The Zum Family blog covered this as well. Check My Tag writes about a disappointing family birthday cake experience at Disney World that’s worth reading if you’re planning a trip there.
More About: Roundup , Link , Small

Allergy Free Peanuts?
2007-07-26 09:39:00
N.C. A&T State University food science researchers say they have developed a simple process for making allergen-free peanuts, which could impact millions of peanut-allergy sufferers. - A&T Researcher Develops Allergy-Free Peanut Can you imagine? There may come a day when my daughter can safely enjoy a PB&J sandwich along with her friends. I wonder if this processing becomes successful if they will implement it for most, if not all peanut products?
More About: Peanuts

Interleukin-12 and Food Allergy: A Closer Look
2007-07-25 14:17:00
I had previously blogged about the coorellation between the gene Interleukin-12 and food allergies when news of the connection broke a few weeks back. Ive been meaning to expand on this, so here we go… What is Interleukin-12? “Interleukin-12 is a natural chemical, or cytokine, produced by T-helper cells to activate and recruit the constituent parts of the immune system.” - AidsMap.com Why is it relevant to food allergy? It’s recently been identified as the gene responsible for suppressing food allergies in “normal” people. It’s believed that those who suffer from food allergies lack interleukin-12. With this discovery treatment and possibly even a cure could be in the not-so-distant future, as scientists are now looking into possible therapies using this new information. What Kinds of Treatment Types Have Been Proposed? In the research led by Dr Claudio Nicoletti, it is suggested “that by delivering an allergen in the presence of IL-12, allergic reactions could be br...
More About: Food , Closer

When Turkeys Become Doctors…
2007-07-24 14:18:00
We’ve recently made the switch from visiting our regular pediatrician for Miss T’s allergies, asthma, and eczema to seeing an allergist and I am so grateful to finally have adequate medical care for her. To fully understand why having a doctor who knows what they’re doing is such a blessing, I must take you through a brief history, my daughter’s allergy story. The Beginning When T was only two months old, she had her very first eczema flare-up. It began as just a tiny spot on her forehead, but quickly spread to cover her face. After doing some research of my own on the internet, I was able to easily self diagnose her with eczema and I also learned about its association with food allergies. However when I took her in to her pediatrician at the time for treatment, he dismissed my concerns about possible food allergies, stating there was absolutely no correlation between eczema and allergy. Three more months went by, and T started having major gastrointestinal problems. We were...
More About: Turkeys , Turk

Phantom Peanut Allergy Scares
2007-07-23 14:19:00
“Mrs No Peanut s” over at No Peanuts Please has written an article that I think many allergy parents can relate to.  It’s quite common for non allergic parents to experience guilt when they’ve had the opportunity to eat “forbidden foods” without endangering their children. Mrs No Peanuts describes her experience of having a sudden feeling of panic when she discovers an unexpected peanut in her fruit parfait. I haven’t personally had any nutty surprises, though I can relate to how she describes her feelings afterward, of briefly imagining that she was actually allergic.  I recently ate my first peanut butter and jelly sandwich in over four years a month or two ago.  Soon after, I was engulfed with feelings of shame, and even a “dirty” kind of feeling (and no, not in a good way).  For a few moments I even nearly had myself convinced that I was in for an allergic reaction, I even imagined my throat and lips itching. It’s truly amazing how the mind can completely ...
More About: Phantom , Ares

Small Link Roundup
2007-07-23 01:34:00
Gina at AllergyMoms.com wrote an interesting post about how you can ask presidential candidates how they feel about food allergy. The Zum Family blog covered this as well. Check My Tag writes about a disappointing family birthday cake experience at Disney World that’s worth reading if you’re planning a trip there.
More About: Roundup , Link , Small , Round

Interleukin-12 and Food Allergy: A Closer Look
2007-07-19 21:06:00
I had previously blogged about the coorellation between the gene Interleukin-12 and food allergies when news of the connection broke a few weeks back. Ive been meaning to expand on this, so here we go… What is Interleukin-12? “Interleukin-12 is a natural chemical, or cytokine, produced by T-helper cells to activate and recruit the constituent parts of the immune system.” - AidsMap.com Why is it relevant to food allergy? It’s recently been identified as the gene responsible for suppressing food allergies in “normal” people. It’s believed that those who suffer from food allergies lack interleukin-12. With this discovery treatment and possibly even a cure could be in the not-so-distant future, as scientists are now looking into possible therapies using this new information. What Kinds of Treatment Types Have Been Proposed? In the research led by Dr Claudio Nicoletti, it is suggested “that by delivering an allergen in the presence of I...
More About: Food , Closer , Look

When Turkeys Become Doctors…
2007-07-18 11:40:00
We’ve recently made the switch from visiting our regular pediatrician for Miss T’s allergies, asthma, and eczema to seeing an allergist and I am so grateful to finally have adequate medical care for her. To fully understand why having a doctor who knows what they’re doing is such a blessing, I must take you through a brief history, my daughter’s allergy story. The Beginning When T was only two months old, she had her very first eczema flare-up. It began as just a tiny spot on her forehead, but quickly spread to cover her face. After doing some research of my own on the internet, I was able to easily self diagnose her with eczema and I also learned about its association with food allergies. However when I took her in to her pediatrician at the time for treatment, he dismissed my concerns about possible food allergies, stating there was absolutely no correlation between eczema and allergy. Three more months went by, and T started having major gastrointestina...
More About: Doctors , Turkeys , Turk

Phantom Peanut Allergy Scares
2007-07-17 12:13:00
“Mrs No Peanut s” over at No Peanuts Please has written an article that I think many allergy parents can relate to.?? It’s quite common for non allergic parents to experience guilt when they’ve had the opportunity to eat “forbidden foods” without endangering their children. Mrs No Peanuts describes her experience of having a sudden feeling of panic when she discovers an unexpected peanut in her fruit parfait. I haven’t personally had any nutty surprises, though I can relate to how she describes her feelings afterward, of briefly imagining that she was actually allergic.?? I recently ate my first peanut butter and jelly sandwich in over four years a month or two ago.?? Soon after, I was engulfed with feelings of shame, and even a “dirty” kind of feeling (and no, not in a good way).?? For a few moments I even nearly had myself convinced that I was in for an allergic reaction, I even imagined my throat and lips itching. It’s tr...
More About: Phantom , Ares

Allergy Translation Cards Article at Canada.com
2007-07-17 03:47:00
Kyle of AllergyTranslation .com and KyleDine.com has just been featured in an article on Canada ’s Times Colonist website promoting his allergy translation cards. I am proud to have Kyle as a reader of AllerJeez.com, and urge everybody to check out the article: “Allergy Translation Cards Help to Keep Travelers Out of Danger” Related Posts: Kyle Dine : Music About Food Allergies
More About: Article , Artic

Allergy Translation Cards Article at Canada.com
2007-07-16 03:47:00
Kyle of AllergyTranslation .com and KyleDine.com has just been featured in an article on Canada ’s Times Colonist website promoting his allergy translation cards. I am proud to have Kyle as a reader of AllerJeez.com, and urge everybody to check out the article: “Allergy Translation Cards Help to Keep Travelers Out of Danger” Related Posts: Kyle Dine : Music About Food Allergies
More About: Article , Artic

Trace Adkins Fighting Food Allergy
2007-07-15 08:16:00
Trace Adkins will serve as the honorary chairman of this year’s Walk for Food Allergy: Moving Toward a Cure. The event, to be held in 20 cities across the country as well as online, is sponsored by the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network to increase awareness about food allergy and raise money for research and education. Trace has been involved in food-allergy issues for several years. His daughter, Brianna, now 6, was diagnosed with a peanut allergy when she was 18 months old, following a severe reaction to peanut butter. - Great American Country This is wonderful news, even for those who aren’t huge country music fans. I truly wish more celebrities would join the cause. There have to be others that either have food allergies or family members with them, it makes you wonder why we don’t see more famous representatives. It would be a nice gesture for us all to be supportive of Trace for helping our cause. You could stop by his website at TraceAdkins.com and ...
More About: Fighting , Trace Adkins , Trac

Getting People to Take You Seriously
2007-07-15 03:02:00
As the parent of a child severely allergic to several foods, I know all too well that most people just do not realize the severity of food allergies. They just don’t seem to believe that everyday staples such as peanut butter could be truly dangerous, much less deadly, to an allergic individual. I have to say that normally I have an aversion to About.com. The website just rubs me the wrong way, from the layout to their message board format. However, one About author has been worth it enough to venture outside of my comfort zone - Victoria Groce, the food allergy “guide”. She’s recently posted an article with some wonderful advice on what to do to get people to take you more seriously when food allergies becomes the subject of conversation: Do you ever get the feeling, when you tell someone you’re allergic (or severely intolerant) to a food, that they think you’re just trying to get attention? There are a lot of reasons for that to be the case. ...
More About: People , Seriously

Vitamin C Allergy Treatment
2007-07-14 10:13:00
Those who swear by herbal and natural treatments sometimes claim that taking vitamin c can help reduce allergy symptoms, and even slow or stop an allergic reaction as it happens when dosed quickly enough. I first learned of this in April by suggestion of my grandmother, the family naturopathic hobbyist. She’s quite knowledgeable, as a liscenced massage therapist she was required to learn about herbal remedies and other natural treatments. Grandma Jan advised that I begin giving my daughter several doses of vitamin c per day, and that the result would be greater allergy resistance and milder eczema flare-ups. I have yet seriously implement this type of treatment (although I have been increasing her vitamin c intake in foods), mainly because I keep forgetting to bring it up at her allergist appointments. We have the next on Monday, I’m actually going to note in my planner to discuss it at that time. How does it (supposedly) work? Vitamin c allergy treatment is claimed t...
More About: Treatment , Vitamin C

Vitamin C Allergy Treatment
2007-07-13 10:13:00
Those who swear by herbal and natural treatments sometimes claim that taking vitamin c can help reduce allergy symptoms, and even slow or stop an allergic reaction as it happens when dosed quickly enough. I first learned of this in April by suggestion of my grandmother, the family naturopathic hobbyist. She’s quite knowledgeable, as a liscenced massage therapist she was required to learn about herbal remedies and other natural treatments. Grandma Jan advised that I begin giving my daughter several doses of vitamin c per day, and that the result would be greater allergy resistance and milder eczema flare-ups. I have yet seriously implement this type of treatment (although I have been increasing her vitamin c intake in foods), mainly because I keep forgetting to bring it up at her allergist appointments. We have the next on Monday, I’m actually going to note in my planner to discuss it at that time. How does it (supposedly) work? Vitamin c allergy treatment is claimed t...
More About: Treatment , Vitamin C

Cat Allergy Myths Exposed
2007-07-12 08:37:00
1) Certain breeds are “hypoallergenic” or less bothersome than others. Probably THE most common misconception about feline allergy, or even pet allergies in general is that an allergic person would live more comfortably around a specific breed that supposedly is allergy resistant, or doesn’t trigger a reaction as easily. Often times, it’s also wrongfully believed that cats with shorter hair are better for allergic people than our puffier friends. In truth, those who are allergic to cats are triggered by their “dander”, or dead skin cells. Since all cats have skin, all of them shed dander, and it’s pretty universal between breeds how much dander is produced by the pet. Recently, there’s been controversy in the allergy world about a new genetically engineered “allergy free” cat called an Allerca Lifestyle Pet. This designer breed is thought by some to be less likely to cause an allergic reaction, but many doctors and scient...
More About: Myths , Myth , Pose

Food Allergy Support Group Listings
2007-07-10 20:36:00
A support group can be a wonderful resource for allergy sufferers and their families. Whether you’re new to allergy living or a veteran, it can be wonderful to have a group of people that understand your frustrations and triumphs, where most people outside of our lifestyle just don’t “get it”. I’ve decided to compile a master list of allergy support group listings, since I have yet to find a website that lists every single one since many groups are affiliated with the organization they’ve been listed on. Multi-state listings: AllergicChild.com AllergyMoms.com Asthma & Allergy Foundation Celiac Support Group s Food Allergy.org (FAAN) FoodAllergyCookbook.com FoodAllergyProject.org MeetUp.com Regional: Cincinnati F.A.A.S.T Illinois Groups Madison, WI Food Allergy Support Minnesota Food Allergy Support Rochester, NY FACTS Sacramento, CA Food Allergy Support San Diego Food Allergy Group Seattle F.E.A.S.T. Tampa Food Allergy Group Can’t find a ...
More About: Listings

Mothering a Child with Severe Allergies
2007-07-09 08:31:00
I’m often asked what precautions I need to take on a daily basis to keep my daughter safe and as comfortable as possible. People are often surprised at just how many considerations and extra miles I must walk to accomplish this. It may all seem extremely overwhelming, and honestly it was in the beginning, but after doing this for years it’s become routine and second nature. A Day in the Life At Home 1) We do not keep products in our home that contain peanut ingredients, even in trace amounts or possible trace amounts (”may contain” on the label). Miss T is allergic to several other foods, but peanuts are the only food that are dangerous enough to completely ban from the house. Foods that have trace amounts of some other her other allergens are kept up on the tallest shelf in the pantry, where it’s impossible for her to reach. She has a vague understanding of the concept of “allergies” and which foods are bad. Whenever there is a new foo...
More About: Allergies , Child , Mothering , Erin

AllerJeez Blog Carnival | Second Edition
2007-07-08 19:54:00
This week’s carnival didn’t receive quite the response the first edition did, but the one quality article that was submitted deserves it’s own post anyway Kate at BabyLune.com is a teacher who wrote an outstanding article about how she went the extra mile to include one allergic student in an otherwise dangerous classroom tradition. She has since gone on to write a small series of follow-up articles that are definitely worth a read as well. Accommodating Other Children’s Allergies at BabyLune.com Thank you very much, Kate for the submission! I’d love to have you back with future submissions.
More About: Carnival , Blog , Blog Carnival , Second Edition , Econ

July 8th - World Allergy Day
2007-07-08 18:27:00
Today is “World Allergy Day”, as declared by the World Allergy Organization. In celebration, why don’t we all do something today that will help raise awareness to those outside of our lifestyle bubbles? - Blog about allergies - Submit an allergy free recipe to a non-food allergy cooking site - Explain something you’ve learned about allergies to a friend or family member - Strike up a conversation at the grocery store - Write a letter or e-mail to the government - Visit your local government and propose a regional allergy day Or donate to an allergy related charity? - American Academy of Asthma and Immunology Education & Research Trust - Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network - Food Allergy Initiative - National Jewish Hospital - Allergy & Asthma Network : Mothers of Asthmatics - American Lung Association We can all make a difference, every newly enlightened person leads to a safer world for ourselves and our children.
More About: July

Kyle Dine - Music About Food Allergies
2007-07-08 03:50:00
I just came across this great website while browsing the links listed at AllergyTranslation.com, which I’ve just recently linked in the sidebar directly to the right. Kyle Dine , a musician from Kingston, Ontario has compiled a CD entitled “You Must Be Nuts!” especially for children with food allergies. The track listing for the record is as follows: 1. I Wrote a Song About Allergies 2. Epi-Man 3. Smellaphant the Allergic Elephant 4. Under the Surface (I Feel Allergy Free) 5. Grocery Store Trip 6. Gluten-Free Blues 7. No Dairy Please! 8. I Won’t Let it Bother Me 9. Dale Evan-Allergy Extinguisher Extraordinaire 10. Tingle on My Tongue 11. That’s a Peanut 12. The Birthday Party 13. The Doghouse 14. Stop! Please Don’t Feed Me The CD has yet to be released, but you can listen to six of the tracks over at Kyle’s website and subscribe to his newsletter for updates. What a wonderful idea, thumbs up to Kyle!  I fully intend on purchasing this CD for...
More About: Music , Food